Perfection
by AngryOwl
Summary: Perfection had been her guide and goal for years. And, now that it had been given life, she would bring the world to its knees to keep it safe.
1. Chapter 1

Perfection. The quality of being free from flaws. Faultless and infallible in every way possible.

It had been her dream since she was a child. Every moment of her young adulthood had been used in the pursuit of reaching perfection. Of being flawless. Of being unable to commit any fault. Her dream had turned into a goal that had turned into the burning ambition that fueled her to this day.

She had traveled the world in her pursuit of knowledge. She had betrayed the village that took her in and raised her into the shinobi she was today. She had killed, tortured, experimented and done all sorts of unspeakable things to innocent people. All in the pursuit of perfection. She wouldn't allow anything, not even moral law, and ethics, to stop her.

But now, staring down at the young babe sleeping soundlessly in the hospital crib, she felt none of that passion. That drive that had kept her afloat for so many years had dwindled into a barely felt spark. The small tuft of blond hair and the whisker-marked cheeks brought out something different from her. She felt her heart jump and tighten as she reached down to trace the swirling seal on the babe's stomach.

"Warm…" She thought to herself as her flesh met his flesh. For something that had been born only hours ago, the child radiated an intense heat. The warmth from his body intermingled with that of her own, sending goose bumps shooting up along her body. A gasp almost left her lips when she felt the baby shift beneath her touch. She quickly retracted her arm, unknowingly bringing the child out of its slumber. Her breath caught in her throat when the boy emitted a long yawn, futilely attempting to stretch out his pudgy limbs during the process, before slowly opening his eyes.

"Perfection." Her facial expression matched her thoughts as she met eyes with the baby. The breath that she didn't know she was holding came out slow and shaky when the child flashed her a smile. It was a smile full of innocence and ignorance. It was a smile that filled her with joy that had been unfelt. She found herself unknowingly returning the smile as she descended her hand back down towards him. Her movement was much slower this time as she was aimed for his face. The babe's cerulean eyes followed the movement of her hand with an unconfined amount of curiosity. When her hand met his cheek, her heart froze because at that very same moment the blond child erupted into laughter.

The sound was beautiful. So beautiful. It made her heart want to leap out of her chest. It made her want to sing along to its harmonious chords. It filled her with such an instantaneous love that she found herself overwhelmed. Her body craved more and it found itself moving in accordance to that want. Her head leaned down close to the child's, allowing her a deep inhale of his scent. Surprisingly, he smelled of burnt wood and smoke. Yet, even those smell couldn't overpower his natural scent. It was intoxicated and she wanted more. She leaned her head further down into the crib to receive more but froze when she heard the door to the room creak open.

"Orochimaru…" The woman slowly brought her head up from the crib at the sound of her former sensei's voice. Her eyes briefly met Hiruzen's before the man broke eye contact to glance at the corners of the room where the unmoving body of several ANBU laid. The frown that had been present on the old man's face deepened as he returned his focus onto Orochimaru who still remained overtop of Naruto's crib.

"What have you done?" Orochimaru broke eye contact with her sensei to look back down at the baby. Hiruzen watched as the woman become transfixed on the sight of the blonde baby.

"I found it, sensei." The woman's voice was slow, almost trance-like. Hiruzen inched forward towards her form when he saw her shift slightly. "Perfection."

Hiruzen wasted no time in dashing across the room when he saw Orochimaru reaching down towards the blond babe. By the time he reached her, a bo staff was in his hands and was already half way through its downward journey towards Orochimaru's skull. The woman showed her training by easily avoiding the hit by jumping backward. As she landed, the smile that had once been clearly present on her face was gone. In its place was a skewed frown as she stared at her sensei. The man had purposely placed himself in between herself and her perfection. His bo staff was held out far in front of him and his face was set in a grim mask as he kept his eyes locked on her form.

"The ANBU have been alerted. Within seconds they will be here and you will have to not only face me but them as well. Choose wisely, Orochimaru." The frown on Orochimaru's face grew at his words. A quick glance past the man revealed to her that her blonde babe had fallen asleep. She had no doubt that any sudden noises or movement of his body would send the boy into a terror-filled cry. With the joy that his laughter brought, she didn't quite know if she could emotionally handle hearing his cry. Not yet. Not just now.

"No harm will come to him, Hiruzen. You protect that child. Because, if you do not, a peaceful death will be the least of your worries. I will raze the village you hold so precious if you allow any harm to come to my child.

"Orochimaru, I-" The Sarutobi didn't manage to get another word out before the woman promptly disappeared from the room in the smoke of a shunshin. When she didn't show her presence several seconds later, he allowed his arms to drop to his sides. A heavy sigh left his mouth the same moment that several members of his ANBU appeared next to him in the room.

"Hiru- I mean … Hokage-Sama. Have you managed to apprehend Orochimaru."

"No…" The man's voice was weary as he turned to face the group of five. Owl, ferret, eagle, dog and cat. Even with their training, he could sense the worry radiating off of them as they stole glances at the baby.

"Should we pursuit?" Cat questioned. Hiruzen gave a negative shake of his head while he moved his attention down to the sleeping babe.

"No. We have already suffered enough for the day. It will only be a waste. Run a search of the village to ensure she didn't leave any surprises for us." Each of the five nodded before disappearing from the room, leaving their leader alone once more. With his agents gone, Hiruzen allowed his full attention to rest on the small child.

"Not even a day old and you're causing me a headache," Hiruzen said out loud. Surprisingly, the child seemed to respond to his words by waking up once again. At the sight of the older male, the blonde erupted into a fit of laughter. The old man found himself smiling along to the child's laughter as it managed to fill the entirety of the hospital room.

"You'll do great things, child. I can feel it." Hiruzen's comment was drowned out by the laughter of the child. On the day of his parent's death, the child managed to express such joy. He could only feel his heart grow weak at the thought of the emotional hell the boy will face when he is older and learns of his parents' death.

But for now, the old man could do nothing but smile and chuckle along with the child. With Konoha burning outside the room's window and the now cold body of his successor being treated by medical-nin, the man could only laugh.

* * *

 **AN: Going to be completely honest with you all, this was typed in under two hours and was inspired by a disgruntled comment in a discord chat from Monkey Knight. This may remain as a one-shot or it could further develop into a full blown story. I'm also hoping that this pushes me to write a new chapter for my Naruto fic.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this random chapter. Going back to working on a new chapter for my Naruto/DxD and Naruto/RWBY** crossfic **. Have a wonderful rest of the night. Review or PM me with any questions, concerns, comments, etc.**


	2. Chapter 2

He was her perfection. Her god in living flesh. The prince of her heavens that she so desperately wanted to be near. Even now, still within the confines of the hidden village, she felt she needed to be closer. She wanted to feel him once more. She needed to take in his scent, feel his heartbeat beneath her hand and hear his joyous laughter.

"Patience…" She mumbled to herself as her eyes ran over the entirety of the village. Her position on top of the memorialized Fourth Hokage's head offered her a great view of the village as it basked in the afternoon glow of the sun.

The context of the situation managed to elicit a chuckle from the youthful-looking woman. The very man who had stood as her rival for her most coveted position gave birth to the thing she wanted most now. If the man had been alive, she would've actually thanked him.

But he wasn't. As she raked her eyes over the ruined sections of Konoha, she could see clearly why a sacrifice as large as one's soul was necessary to stop the nine-tailed fox. In the twenty minutes the beast had been unsealed to the world, it had managed to create so much destruction. Even two months past the event, evidence of its destruction was quite clear to the ex-Konoha ninja's eyes.

" _The same sacrifice … I wouldn't have made it_." Orochimaru thought to herself. She couldn't have possibly brought herself to do what Minato had done. To sacrifice oneself … to lose the chance to experience the greatness of his own spawn, it was an unthinkable act to her. She supposed that's why her sensei picked Minato over herself for Hokage. How the man could've done it, she did not know. She was, however, thankful for his sacrifice. Because of it, she had found perfection.

"Orochimaru-sama." The woman's attention was stolen away from her thoughts when she heard someone call her name out. After sending a quick glance at the hospital that contained the object of her affections, she turned to face the newcomer.

"Report." Her usual roundabout way of speaking and intimidation tactics were lost as she addressed her subordinate. When it came to matters involving Konoha and Naruto, she wanted immediate information.

Despite her lack of intimidation tactics, Kabuto found himself plenty of scared by his mistress as he stood in her presence. If it wasn't for the training he had undergone as a younger boy, he was sure he would've been stuttering like a child at this point.

"Like you thought, the child is under constant surveillance. From what I've been able to sense, at least two ANBU are in his room at any given point or time. Could possibly be more. The Hokage makes frequent visits as well." Orochimaru frowned at this. In the back of her mind, she was cursing the attention her sensei was showing the boy. The attention would make it that much more difficult to get close to him.

"They plan on transferring him to an orphanage soon. Any attempt at adoption by the clans have been shot down by Hiruzen-San."

"Adoption? Has the village been made aware of his heritage?" If they had been, she could almost immediately do away with any plan to move on the child. The child of a recently dead Hokage and one of the strongest kunoichi would bring him a life of constant attention and surveillance. Even she would find herself very hard pressed to get close to him.

"Not exactly. However, the village has been made aware of the Fourth's sacrifice and the boy's tenant. The village as a whole was not very pleased. Protests outside of the hospital have ta-" That was all Kabuto managed to get out before he found a sword pressed firmly against his neck. If he had cared enough to look down, he would've noticed that the sword was the legendary Kusanagi and one scratch from it would probably be enough to put him out of commission for the rest of his life. Fortunately for him, he was too scared out of his mind to take notice. Instead, his eyes remained locked on Orochimaru who had managed to cross the distance between the two in an instant. The sheer amount of emotion within her eyes was enough to shock him. He rarely ever saw even a flicker of it from the woman yet now her eyes roared with it.

"Listen here, boy." Orochimaru hissed out while pressing her sword deeper into Kabuto's neck. The young male held back a pained gasp from the contact with the sword while keeping eye contact with the woman. He knew that breaking it could result in his immediate death.

"No harm will be done to that child. You will make sure of that. If he gets hurt in any way, I will raze this village to the ground with you still in it! Do you understand me?" Orochimaru barked out to the boy. Due to the sword that was only centimeters away from biting into his neck, Kabuto could not nod. He could only continue holding eye contact with the woman and hope that she got the message.

After several moments of tense silence, Orochimaru seemed to pick up on Kabuto's intent as she removed her blade from his neck. Wordlessly, the woman proceeded to swallow the sword whole without much struggle. Kabuto continued to watch in silence as the Sannin turned her back to him in order to once more look over the village.

"Keep him safe, Kabuto." The boy could barely make out her voice as it came out in a soft murmur. "I don't care how you do it. Just keep him safe."

Once more, the Hokage monument went quiet once Orochimaru finished talking. Kabuto looked shaken as he stared at the woman's backside. His previous training wasn't enough to prepare him from the sudden fiery shift of emotion from his current master. It left him with far more questions than he started with and now his tongue couldn't help but make him voice one.

"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto hesitated here. With the woman's fiery temperament, he didn't want to do anything to anger her further. When she said nothing in response to his call, the boy decided to press forward.

"What will you be doing? Should I expect your return?" Orochimaru hummed at his question before turning to face him. Once more, the woman's erratic behavior was on full display. Her face which had been downright murderous only moments ago was now covered with a small smirk.

"That boy is my prince. You are his knight. Every prince needs a castle to return to. I'm going to go build his kingdom." The look in the woman's eyes screamed her hidden delight as she spoke. Kabuto could only nod at her words, finding himself at a loss for words. Any further analyzing for her behavior would have to be left to later as the smile on her face promptly faded from view.

"I am needed elsewhere. Remember my words, boy. You aren't the only eyes I have in this village." Those were her last words to him before she disappeared in the smoke of a shunshin. Kabuto watched as the smoke slowly drifted from his sight before giving his head a good shake.

" _What have I gotten myself into_?" Despite these thoughts, the boy unconsciously found himself working his way down to Konoha's central hospital. His job at the facility would make his job much easier but still, the task Orochimaru set forth before him would be arduous. He would not falter, though. He would protect the boy his master seemed so obsessed over.

After all, if he didn't, he was dead anyway.

* * *

It was dark in the home. Her career as a shinobi had demanded she learn to embrace the darkness. As a young child, she had found that task to be infinitely difficult. The dark contained the unknown. She hated the unknown. So she learned to see through the dark. The unknown became known and her fear dissipated.

This ability carried through to her adulthood and allowed her to see the pair of ANBU standing outside the doorway.

Bear and Falcon. She had picked this day for a special reason. Most tended to ignore her time in the ANBU in order to blindly label her a traitor. If these two were assigned to guard her perfection, they were undoubtedly strong. But, they were nowhere near the strength of Dog or Cat. And because of that, they were leagues away from her.

She smirked when she saw them jump. Unseen by them but observed by her, her two snake summons disappeared from sight. Their task had been completed. Their poison had been laid and would be taking effect soon. It was only a matter of time.

The ANBU duo searched for an explanation to their disturbance. They wouldn't be able to search for very long as their movements began to grow sluggish. Within moments, the two collapsed to the ground. The slow rise and fall of their chests was the only sign that the two were still alive.

She wouldn't kill them. No. They were responsible for the protection of her prince. Killing them would just be putting him further in danger. This was merely a reminder. A warning. Hopefully, when they awoke from their slumber, they would learn to be more observant. For the Naruto's sake and by extension Konoha's sake, they better do it.

She walked by them both in order to place her hand on the door. After several pulses of chakra through her palm, the door to the room unlocked with a small click. The seal on the door's surface glowed bright blue.

Her sensei was inventive when it came to seals. There was no getting around that. But, at one point in her life, she had challenged Minato Namikaze to the title of Hokage. She knew seals. The blond man may have outpaced in her the subject but that did not negate her knowledge. The seals her sensei put in place were easy to move past when you observed, analyze and deduced. A simple overwrite by her allowed her to take control of their function and even place a silencing seal for herself.

The woman seemed almost jittery as she pushed open the door to the room. Her yellow eyes glowed as they swept across the room. The spartan-esque quality of the room upset her but she kept it hidden. Living conditions like this were not fitting of her prince. She would have Kabuto fix that once she was finished here.

That was for the future. Right now, her focus was on something else.

He had grown so much since their first meeting. She had seen him multiple times since then but never so close. It had been a hard three years not being able to be close to the boy but it was all going to pay off soon.

His once fat cheeks were now much slimmer. The thin whisker marks on them seemed even more defined now. The small tuft of blond hair had grown into a shaggy mane. In his sleep, it was splayed over his face, nearly reaching down to his mouth. His upper body was clothed in a loose orange shirt while his lower body was confident by a milky white blanket.

All in all, he had managed to grow even more beautiful in her eyes. As she stalked her way towards his bed, she could feel her stomach tightening. Her eyes remained unblinking as with each step, she brought herself closer to what she desperately craved.

His scent was the first to hit and it nearly swept her off her feet when it did. Stealth be damned, she nearly sprinted the rest of the distance separating the two. She found herself clutching almost desperately onto the boy's mattress as she kneeled by its side. She moved her head down near his sleeping form before taking in a deep inhale of his scent. As she did, a small shudder ran down her body. The whiff ended with an almost silent but relieved smile as a large smile wormed its way onto her face.

"My prince. I've waited for so long for this." Orochimaru cooed into the boy's ear. He shifted only slightly when the woman reached up to caress his cheek. The warmth he had as a newborn baby had grown. To her, he felt like an inferno that she couldn't wait to be consumed by.

"I'll always be near. Until we can be together, accept my love." Orochimaru whispered to the child before moving her mouth down towards his neck. With only a moment of hesitation, she allowed her elongated canines to pop into sight before she sunk them into his neck.

The screams that reached her ears nearly made her shed tears. Whispered apologies left her mouth as she cradled the screaming boy's head. She knew that this would be the result of her gift and had even prepared for the outcome. Still, no amount of preparation could've prepared her for the sound of the boy's cries. They stabbed at her heart, especially since she knew she was the cause.

"Soon, my love. Soon. Bare this for me." Orochimaru's words were lost in Naruto's screams. Unable to bear looking at his pained expressions, she glanced down at his neck. Relief flooded through her when she was the beginning of a circular mark forming in the nook of his collarbone. Her gift was being received. Her prince's pain would not be for nothing.

After a full five minutes of screaming, the boy's voice began to grow dull. Orochimaru watched the entire time, her eyes switching between the developing mark on the blond's shoulder and his pained face. Eventually, his screams died away completely as he went limp her arms. The spiraling seal on his neck stood as a trophy for his pained efforts. It stood as a black spiral contained within an archaic circle. To her, it was the only blemish along his perfect body.

"I am forever with you from now on." Orochimaru gave one last whisper into the boy's ear as she laid his head back down onto the bed. She laid a gentle kiss on to his forehead before rising back up to her feet. Her gaze lingered on Naruto for several more seconds before steadying herself with a breath. Leaving after being apart for so long hurt her but she knew it was necessary. She couldn't stay.

"Always with you." Orochimaru leaped out of the room using its sole window. When the two ANBU outside of the room woke several minutes later, they would immediately go and report to the Hokage. By the time the man reached Naruto, it would be too late. Orochimaru's seal had set its roots and wouldn't be coming off anytime soon. The old man could only send a message out to his student and hope the pervert actually listens to it.

"Orochimaru … what have you done?"

* * *

 **AN:** Its **official. This has evolved from a one-shot to a story! The response to the first chapter was so positive that I couldn't just let this sit and rot.**

 **So, before I go any further, I want to make some things clear. The updating of this story will be different than my other stories. You shouldn't expect 5k+ chapters that take a week or two to come out. You should expect chapters ranging from 1.5k to 3k words that come out twice or three times a week. This update schedule will allow me to work on this story while not completely neglecting my two crossovers.**

 **Anyways, thank you all for reading. I really appreciate it. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Review or PM me with any comments, questions, concerns, etc. Be warned, if** its **about plot, I may be a little** relunctant **to give up information. Peace!**


	3. Chapter 3

"She's a genius, sensei. There's no denying it. She's done something that should've been impossible."

"Spit it out, Jiraiya. We do not have time for you to sit and admire the seal." Hiruzen had very little patience on this Thursday morning. Part of the reason why he was so agitated was because of the spiky-haired man kneeling next to a sedated Naruto.

"She perfected the curse seal. The ones we saw on Anko and when we raided her labs look like botch jobs compared to this one. This is a masterpiece."

"Jiraiya. Stop admiring the damn seal and tell me what it does." Hiruzen barked out. His patience for his student had officially run out.

"It's very similar to the one discovered on Anko in terms of the amount of chakra contained within it and its ability to absorb more. Unlike hers, this seal doesn't seem to have any natural limiters put on it. As of right now, he has instant and unlimited access to the bastardized senjutsu the seal provides. It honestly should be impossible with the shinigami's seal present but somehow she managed it." Jiraiya couldn't help but add the last sentence as he stared at the seal. Behind him, Hiruzen sighed at his student's behavior before moving his attention onto the sleeping Naruto.

It had been several weeks since his ANBU had reported to him their failure in protecting Naruto. When he had learned of their failure, it had taken everything within him not to strike them down where they stood. If the urgency of the child's health wasn't calling for his attention, he would've probably done it too.

His urge to kill the ANBU grew even stronger when he first laid eyes on the cursed seal located on the boy's collarbone. His summons for Jiraiya had been immediate. The man's response was nowhere near as quick. Instead of an immediate solution, Hiruzen had been forced to stew in his agitation and anxiety for several weeks. When his perverted student had come casually strolling through the village gates, he had nearly beat the man to death for his tardiness.

Is there any way to remove it?" Hiruzen questioned after several moments of silence. Jiraiya gave a negative shake of his head, earning him another sigh from his sensei.

"Not that I know of," With a small grunt, the sannin rose up to his full height. "The best we can do is attempt to suppress it. Limit the seal's connection with its creator. It'll be painful but it's the best solution until I find a way to remove the thing."

"Get it done today. I want you to start preparing the sealing room immediately." He wasn't going to allow his student to sneak off once again. The man had already had enough time to play.

"I was going to do that anyway. Stop being such a prude." Jiraiya attempted to wave away his sensei's words. Instead, the older man sent him a glare that managed to seal his mouth shut. He gave a curt nod of his head before dashing out of the room, presumably to go prepare the sealing room. With his student gone, Hiruzen returned his attention to the unconscious boy with a prominent frown on his face.

" _I only hope that we aren't too late._ "

* * *

It was one of those days where the sun seemed to hang in the sky for an eternity. Its shine wasn't too harsh where you had to shield your eyes but it was bright enough to bathe the village in its entirety glow.

"Kabuto!" The sound of his name being called managed to clear away the serenity of the day. No amount of emotion training could've stopped the sigh from leaving his mouth. With no small amount of reluctance, the white-haired boy rose from the ground and faced his guest with a wide smile.

"Naruto-kun! As always, the sight of you is such a pleasant gift." The words flowed out of his mouth with practiced ease. Greeting the child had become part of his daily routine. Each day he attempted to mix up the words of his greetings purely to keep the interaction somewhat entertaining for him.

Naruto's smile grew in size at Kabuto's words, forcing a twinge of emotion to travel through the teen's body. He quickly squashed the feeling before beginning his daily observation of the boy's condition.

The fact that he was running towards him was a good sign. The burnt orange shirt he wore clung comfortably to his body. The medic-nin was happy to see that the food that had been provided to him by his mistress was being put to good use. The pair of black shorts wrapped around the tight shorts were void of any holes or tear. The boy's cheeks were nice and full, still hosting the six whisker marks.

At the sight of the child's neck, Kabuto couldn't help but smirk. His mistress' seal stood out proudly against the child's tan skin. It's black marking almost seemed to shine in the light of the sun.

The entirety of the seal was surrounded by another seal. This one took the appearance of a spiked circle with its edges pointed inward towards his master's seal. Every few seconds, an almost unnoticeable pulse of blue would radiate from the seal, showing that the counter seal was working properly.

Just how Jiraiya had admired the genius of his master, Kabuto had to give credit to the sannin. Despite the facade of a buffoon that he wore so well, the man was knowledgeable about his subject. He had managed to suppress the seal but he could not completely get rid of his master's influence.

" _My prince…_ " Naruto paused in his motion when the voice rang through his head. Even though Kabuto couldn't hear his mistress' voice, he could sense her presence through the blond's pause. The older male approached the frozen child while suppressing his grin before laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You okay, Naruto?" Kabuto's touch and question served to snap the child out of his thoughts. He quickly shook his head free of his thought before flashing his caretaker a bright smile.

"I am, Kabuto-san. What are you going to teach me today?" The young blond asked his caretaker. At his words, Kabuto felt a chill travel up his spine. Because, at that very same moment, he could've sworn that the pale face of his master had overcome the boy's features. The carefree smile turned dangerous, blue eyes turned yellow and tanned skin turned pale. The image only lasted for a few seconds before fading away, revealing Naruto's still smiling face.

" _Her influence grows more each day_." Kabuto thought to himself after shaking his vision free of the mirage. Jiraiya's seal couldn't curb the full effects of the seal. With his guiding and her silent influence, the boy's perfection would be molded.

"Just some history, Naruto-kun." The groan that left the boy's lips showed that Orochimaru's influence still hadn't fully overcome the child.

" _Just as she planned._ " The male thought while he pulled several scrolls into sight. Just like his master loved to proclaim, the child was perfect. She did not want to corrupt that perfection. She simply wanted to mold and guide it towards herself.

"We'll be continuing our study on the strongest ninja produced here in Konoha. Today's subject, the Sannin."

* * *

The Iburi clan. A clan that was known for two things. First, their tendency to live in seclusion in the caves littered across Fire country. Second, their member's innate ability to turn into smoke at will. While in their smoke form, any member of the Iburi clan turned exponentially deadlier as they still had the ability to interact physically with any object while gaining a level of invulnerability.

Orochimaru had developed an interest in the clan far before her prince had been brought into the world. Their ability to become intangible while still being able to cause physical harm had so much potential. If she had the ability to do just that, stealth and espionage would no longer be an issue for her. She would naturally radiate death.

But now, she found no need for their blood ability. She no longer needed it to achieve perfection. That state would come to her when she and her prince became united. For now, her prince's kingdom was in need of a strong base. And, she had a very strong inkling that she had discovered who would be the first to join.

"What … what do you want?" Their cowering brought her out her thoughts. As her eyes swept over their bodies, they flinched. This caused her to smirk. Their fear was good. Fear made for an amazing motivator.

"I wanted this to transpire peacefully." Orochimaru stated while walking towards the group of several dozen Iburi clan members. The sound of wetness filled the entirety of the cave as the sannin took her full, slow strides toward the group.

"You claim that but look at what you've done to our brothers and sisters!" A nameless clansman pushed his way to the front of the crowd and pointed an accusatory finger at the woman. Orochimaru stopped in her movement and raised a single eyebrow at his words before briefly looking over her shoulder. Dozens more of Iburi members were behind her, lying motionless against the cold stone of the cave.

"They attacked me without warrant. I came under the pretense of peace."

"Lies!" The same man yelled. The fire in his eyes seemed to almost set his body alight as his skin began to emit smoke.

"We know the things you've done. You have done despicable things to your fellow ninja! We want no part in what you want."

Orochimaru went still and silent at his words. The smoke rising from the man's skin began to gradually fade as her silence dragged on. The fire in his eyes still remained bright, however.

That light was quickly snuffed out when Orochimaru disappeared from her spot and reappear in front of him moments after. Before he could activate his clan's ability, the woman sent her sword piercing hilt-deep into his throat. The rest of the clan could only watch in horror as the sannin jerked the sword out of his neck, sending a stream of blood spraying over herself and the ground. The horrified look on the man's face remained plastered in place, even when he collapsed to the ground, still and motionless.

"Listen to me." Orochimaru's words brought the clan's attention back to her. Although her face had several streaks of blood sprayed across its pale surface, she didn't seem the least bit bothered as she talked.

"I am building a kingdom. A kingdom built for a King. A kingdom fitting enough for a god. And, kingdom needs its subjects. You lot will become the first of many." The woman finished with a frighteningly large smile plastered across her lips. The horrified forms of the people before her only seem to fuel her intentions as she steadily approached them.

"You will become the first of many to join. Or, you will become the first of many to die."

They made the smart decision.

* * *

 **AN: Another chapter** done **! Hope that you all enjoy it. I'm glad to see the positivity revolving around the fic. Please review or PM me with any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions,** desires **, etc. Have a** wonderul **rest of the day! Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4

" _I love you … I will always love you … I will always be with you_ …"

The same voice. Every dream he had since he was a small child started and ended with the same voice. It didn't matter if it was a nightmare, a playback of his memories and even an erotic dream, the voice always managed to cap off his nightly fantastical excursions.

Ever since he was a child, he had been searching for the voice. Some nights, he would forget it even existed until it repeated itself at the very end of his dreams. He would then wake up, cursing his subconscious mind on not having enough sense to focus on finding the voice. Other nights, the nights where he felt he had some semblance of control over his dreams, he searched tirelessly for the voice's owner. At times, it would call out to him, beckoning him with more sweet sayings and phrases. Other times, it would remain completely silent, leaving him searching his subconsciously fruitlessly for hours only to wake up and curse himself for his failures.

Today was different. Today, her words were no longer a whisper. They called out to him as if she had shouted right over his shoulder. Somehow, the increased loudness of her voice only served to agitate the boy more. She sounded so close. He felt as if he could almost reach out and touch her. Yet … he couldn't feel her.

" _You're not far … forward_." Her words pushed him onward. In the formless world surrounding him, the blond marched confidently forward. He didn't have an inkling of what was behind him, below him, above him, to his sides or even in front of him. Yet, he marched forward. The voice compelled him to and who was he to ignore it?

He had no idea how long his journey lasted. Dreams had a weird way of making one lose track of time. It could've been a few seconds or it could've been hours. The only thing that he knew was that with each step, he was growing closer to _it_. He didn't know who or what it was exactly but the the seemingly primordial urge that burned in his stomach through his journey made him want to discover.

He needed to discover.

" _You're here_."

The voice. It sounded so happy and it made him happy. It made him smile. He didn't know why but it's happiness felt like his own. If he had been outside of his subconscious, he would've surely questioned the phenomenon. But now, his focus was elsewhere.

As his steps echoed through the vast expanse of his mind, the fog before his eyes began to clear. His smile began to grow wider as an outline of a figure made itself known in the distance. He nearly broke out in a sprint at the sight but managed to curb his urge to a light jog. With each pace taken, the outline became clearer and clearer. By the time he had reached her form, he was nearly beaming with happiness as he stared at what he could only imagine what an angel looked like.

Her skin was pale, almost impossibly so. Her golden eyes cut through the thin layer of fog separating the door and pierced into his soul. The purple markings surrounding them only served to highlight the beautiful twin orbs. Her hair, a mesmerizing midnight black, fell loosely over her face and shoulders. Naruto wanted nothing more than to walk up to her and part the bangs covering her face just so he could soak in more of her.

Unfortunately for the blond, that was all he was able to gleam. The rest of her body remained shrouded, hidden from his view by some unforeseen force. The boy wanted to scream out at the injustice of the situation. He found the action to be entirely unnecessary when a hand found itself on his cheek.

" _My prince…_ " Her voice managed to soothe any anger that had surged up in him. It receded back into his heart as he found himself drowning in her golden gaze once more. Her eyes seized his body and froze it in place. It was a feeling that, coming from anyone else, would've frustrated the hell out of him but coming from her, made him feel pleasant beyond belief.

" _I've waited so long_." She leaned her head down to whisper into his ear. The height difference between the two would have usually bothered the prideful boy but with her warm breath playing against his ear, he couldn't find the will to care. His own breathing began to pick up when she slid her hands up to cup her face. He felt his neck begin to heat up where she was breathing. It felt as if she was somehow managing to melt away his skin with just her breath.

Her tongue lolled out of her mouth with an almost saucy sense of determination. When it landed on his neck, specifically where his curse seal was located, Naruto released a gasp. His vision became covered in a scarlet purple as the color erupted from his seal. The blond legs began to shake underneath his own weight as he found it more and more difficult to stand. The feeling of pure euphoria traveling through his veins was absolutely blinding. It had him tasting colors and seeing sounds. He wanted more of it. He craved more. He _**needed**_ more.

" **Naruto**!" And, just like that, the feeling left him. The blond's eyes shot open as the fog around him receded into nothing. He was only able to glimpse one last view of the angel's face before his vision erupted into a blinding white light.

"Naruto." As the light faded from his vision so came a rush of anger. His upper body launched upward while a throaty snarl left his mouth. He had been so close. After years of searching, he found what he had been searching for. Anger flooded through his system as he began to lose against the urge to lash out at anything around him.

"Calm down, Naruto!" Blinded by his anger, the blond didn't notice the two hands shoot down and grab onto his wrists. Even if he had been able to see clearly, it would've mattered much. There was very little he could have done to stop the owner of the hands.

Naruto fought against the physical restraints for several moments, gaining only a little bit of gain from his efforts. It was only when his anger began to flush out of his system did the blond stop attempting to escape. Because standing over him was the stern but concern face of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At sight of the man's face sapped the last bit of anger from the boy's body. The old man had always been by his side. Since he was a young babe, the Hokage had been a pillar of support in his life. One of the few things he didn't want to ever do was to cause the man any unnecessary strife. After watching the man go about his daily rigors as the Hokage, the blond knew that the man certainly didn't need any more of it in his life.

Hiruzen's grip fell from his wrist and with it fell the boy's arms to his side. For that, he was very grateful. It didn't seem like it in the moment but the older male had been using a lot of force to keep him still. The red surrounding his wrist only bespoke of a fragment of soreness the blond would be feeling later through the day.

"Are you calm now?"

"...I am."

Was he? Naruto couldn't honestly say for sure. A part of him, buried deep in the recesses of his mind, felt infuriated. It wanted nothing more than to lash out at the world around him. He wanted to strike out. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to raze and burn and maim and-

" _Be still, my prince. Anger afflicts control and control is ultimate_." There it was! The very same voice from his 'dreams'. He could see her face in his mind's eye. It reflected compassion, love, and care. It warmed and calmed him far past anything Hiruzen could've done.

Hiruzen felt a sense of relief fill him at the sight of the boy's smile. When he had burst into the room and saw him thrashing amongst the sheets of his bed, worried had fill him. The worry only grew when he was forced to actually restrain the child. He may have been old but it shouldn't have taken as much force as it did to hold the boy down. He had been afraid that Minato's seal had somehow managed to slip and the fox's influence had overtaken the child. But now, seeing the boy's smiling face, all thoughts of that had been torn away.

That didn't mean he wouldn't call Jiraiya in a bit early for the child's annual check-up.

"You managed to sleep in until noon. It's a little late for you to show up to your classes, so why don't I take you to get some ramen?" The man knew he was being somewhat of a bad influence on the child with this decision but he couldn't help himself. When he saw Naruto's face light up in happiness, he knew he had made the right decision.

"Yeah, old man!" The blond tore the blankets off his body and hopped off his bed. The Hokage watched as the boy, only clad in a pair of shorts, ran excitedly from his room. The man could only shake his head in amusement at the sight before following the child out of the room.

"Have someone replace the boy's sheet and fix the wall. I rather not have him returning to his home to that." The Hokage's parting words were answered by a flicker of movement within the room. He paid it no mind as he closed the door behind him, hiding from view the deep gouges that had been ripped into the wall behind the boy's bed and the torn remnants of his sheet.

By the time Naruto returned home, there would be no evidence of his morning fit.

* * *

A low hiss reached her ears as the doors sprang open before her. Her face was blasted by a rush of warm air that sent her hair blowing behind him. She didn't allow the anomaly to bother her as she stepped confidently into the room, flanked by no one and without weapon.

Her golden eyes traveled across the room with a sense of laziness that was unusual for the woman. Her usual alertness had been rendered mute within the room. Where many within her rank would be fearful, she stood indolent.

"The day grows nearer. I grow closer with each passing day." Orochimaru began to speak, seemingly to no one. Even if her actions didn't reflect it, the sannin picked up on the shadow of movement within the corner of the dimly lit room. She smiled to herself before continuing.

"Your role has been cemented. He is still but a child in power. The day will come when I cannot protect him nor will he able to protect himself. You will be by his side. You will be his knight." She paused once more. This time, the movement came at much more than a shadow. She tempered herself against releasing a sweet moan as a flash of emotion entered through her.

 _She was so close._

"There will also be the day when he can protect himself. Where no one, not even myself or the legends of the old age, will be able to threaten him. His very presence will be enough to stem any of his enemies. Even then, you will remain by his side."

"Raise your blade." At her command, the sound of flesh tearing echoed through the room. The sannin stepped deeper into the room at the sound.

"From this point forward, your servitude to me is no longer your priority. I healed you but Naruto Uzumaki will allow you to live. He is your master. You are a dog at his command. Your purpose and worth will be determined by him alone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." As the soft voice spoke out, Orochimaru reached forward and placed her hand on the bowed head. White locks of hair were displaced by her hand, causing their owner to raise their head. Pale skin and green eyes greeted the snake sannin.

"Welcome to the kingdom."

* * *

 **AN: After a bout of headaches and laziness compounded on top of that, here s a new chapter. This was supposed to come out a few days earlier and I apologize for the wait. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Review of PM me with any comments, questions, suggestions, concerns, etc.**

 **Like I posted with my other stories. PM me if you're interested in Pat-** reon **(for me, of course). Ignore the -**


	5. Chapter 5

A snake hissed as it arched its back as high into the air as possible. A backward retreat had been eliminated from its options as a massive oak stood at its back. Its tiny eyes rapidly flickered in between its two enemies as it desperately searched for an escape route.

A toad and a slug. Unlikely allies but united by a similar lost. Laying in the digestive juices of the snake's stomach sat their eggs. The reptile had descended upon both of their nests and snatched up their unborn children in their lapses of attention. Although the creature's stealth had been impressive, the snake hadn't managed to completely escape the sight of its victims and they had managed to track it to this dead end.

The snake swayed from side to side as it searched for an escape route. It's instinct screamed at it to simply leap at one of the animals and tear them asunder yet it resisted. The flick of its tongue outside of its mouth alerted it immediately that it would be a horrible idea. The stench of poison reeked through the air and the creature had no doubt that a single bite of either of its opponents would leave it dead.

So, it waited. Even as the two creatures grew closer and closer, it waited. It may die today but it wouldn't die a reckless death.

It would die on its on terms.

Just as it was beginning to look as if the snake would be forced to strike for any chance at escape, its savior came flying through the air in the form of a metal blade. The snake caught only a small glimpse of the airborne weapon before it slammed into the back of the unsuspecting toad, gutting and pinning the creature to the ground. The creature let out a horrific croak that alerted its partner to its predicament. The slug needed only a small glance toward the creature for its instinct to kick in and immediately went slithering away. The snake watched it disappear in some foliage as the sound of dying toad played against its nerves.

The sound of crunching leaves stole away the reptile's attention. A loud hiss left its mouth at the new presence. The thing was already too close, somehow managing to evade the animal's sharp senses. The snake prepared itself to fled but was frozen in place by the piercing blue eyes of the newest presence.

"You got a little greedy, didn't you?" The snake let loose a small hiss as it watched the human kneel down onto the ground. The blond-haired creature reached out a hand to the reptile, making it reel back slightly. Its tongue came darting out of its mouth as it tried to get a sense of the new arrival's scent.

"Stop being so distrustful." The snake was abruptly lifted from the ground by the human, causing it to hiss loudly. It's assisted flight didn't last for too long when the blond placed the reptile in his hand. As soon as it could, the snake shot its head downward and sunk its fangs into the human's hand. Surprisingly, the attack wasn't met with any outbursts of outrage or agitation. Instead, the human merely looked down at the snake with a single raised eyebrow as the creature slowly retracted its head.

"Did biting me make you feel any better?" Despite the language barrier between the two, the snake found itself perfectly understanding the words of the blond. It released a small hiss in response, earning it an eye roll from the human.

"I can tell you're a big baby. Can't even appreciate it when a hero comes save you." If the snake could roll its eyes, it would have. Instead, it released the most sarcastic sounding hiss it could produce. The message seemed to have gotten through because the human released a laugh before standing up to his full height.

"Heroes come in many different shapes and sizes. Don't discount me just yet. It's a toad today but it could be a monster tomorrow. You never know." The snake could only stare at the human as it spoke. At this point, it had become familiar enough with his scent and found the smell to be somewhat unique. Most humans stunk of pheromone and sweat and while this humor had the same scent, his was also mixed in with something indistinguishable. It made the snake curious, curious enough to stick with the human as it began to walk out of the clearing.

"The name is Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it. You'll be hearing a lot of it in the future." Naruto said before looking down at the snake. "You got a name?"

His response came in the form of a bite. The blond rolled his eyes before continuing his walk.

"Don't make this a regular thing."

Another bite pierced his skin.

* * *

"They have arrived, Orochimaru-Sama."

"Let them in and line them up " The woman's voice sent a set of strong vibrations pounding through her chest. The sensation felt good. As several people began to stream into her chamber, she couldn't but crave the day where she could feel the vibrations of a certain blond's chest. That day would be a glorious one for her.

Based off of the reports she had been receiving from Kabuto, the day could possibly be better than she initially expected. Underneath the light tutelage of her minion, her prince had begun to flourish. Mind, body and spirit, he was quickly reaching completion and when he did, she too would reach it with him.

"That's all of them, Orochimaru-Sama." She directed her attention outward at the call of her name. She gave the ninja a small nod, signaling for him to leave the room. The man bowed before exiting the chamber, leaving the woman alone with her new guests.

"You're all so beautiful." The words left her mouth in a sort of shouted whisper that managed to carry throughout the entirety of the room. It sent chills through the spines of the other occupants, a fact that made the sannin smile.

"You all were picked because of your beauty." Orochimaru continued as she swept her eyes over the line of people in front of her eye. A mixture of men and women stood before her, cowering beneath her gaze. They ranged from all different heights, skin colors, race, hair color and almost everything else that could differentiate a person. But one thing that kept the group united was their beauty. Even in their beaten, bruised and terrified state, they radiated beauty.

"My prince ... his beauty shines brighter than all of you combined. You all are only fit to be his courtesans, mere whores for his pleasure." Orochimaru hissed out. By this point, some of the weaker willed ones had begun to cry. Their future seemed to be cemented at this point. Their looks would only be used to satisfy the lust of someone they did not know.

"As a growing boy, he will seek the pleasures of the flesh. Hormones and the such. Undoubtedly, people like you will attract his eye. It's a biological certainty." Orochimaru narrowed her eyes at this point.

"His eyes are only fit for me." That was the last thing the line of people heard before the flash of steel near Orochimaru's hand tipped them off to their real fate. Before any of them could run, the sannin dashed down the line, bringing her sword across each of their throats. Blood filled the air as each of them clutched desperately at their cut throat. Choked and garbled voices echoed throughout the chamber before, one by one, they collapsed onto the chamber floor. Orochimaru watched it all, until the very last person fell, with an unfeeling mask on her face.

"The day that he begins seeking the warmth of another's flesh, I will be there." The sannin said while wiping her blade clean of the blood along her kimono. She did not seem bothered by the smears it created as she looked down at the corpses before her. "My body is for him and he will need nothing else in this world to satisfy him.

"Only me."

* * *

"I don't like him, Hokage-Sama."

"And why is that, Anko? Has the child wronged you in any way?" Hiruzen responded while looking up at one of his wayward shinobi. She was standing over his shoulder, her eyes scanning over his crystal ball. The ball was filled with the image of Naruto Uzumaki walking through the village.

"No, but he reminds me too much of _her._ Whenever I'm near him, I can almost feel her." Hiruzen hummed at this before turning his attention back to his crystal ball.

He could see where the young jounin was getting at. Despite the blond's spiky, blond hair, tan complexion, and sunny personality, the man _felt_ his former student whenever he was near the boy. It was the small things. The tiny quirks that made him hesitant. The way he laughed, the way he spoke, his odd affinity for snakes. The uncanniness was too _unnerving_.

Though, he wrote it all off as a byproduct of his student's seal. Jiraiya had admitted to him that he hadn't been able to complete restrict the cursed seal's influence. As much as the Hokage didn't want to admit it, there was a distinct possibility that some of her old student's quirks were mingling with the boy's. It was an unnerving thought but not too alarming. For now at least.

"You shouldn't shun the boy just because of a simple mark, Anko."

"And, just because he has the seal doesn't mean I have to be all buddy-buddy with him. I've dealt with enough Orochimaru. I'm not going to subject myself to anything that even remotely reminds me of the woman." Hiruzen released a sigh at the woman's words. It was quite obvious to him that anything else besides a direct order from him wouldn't help the situation.

"Fine, Anko. You're dismissed." She gave an almost unnoticeable nod of her head before marching out of the room. Her journey ended with a loud slam of the door, causing the Hokage to shake his head.

"Why are my shinobi so complex?"

* * *

His tongue played against a lollipop as he watched her stomp out of the building. The sneer on her face and the fact she wasn't even making an effort to avoid running over people showed her annoyance.

" _The old man must've pissed her off. He's good at doing that to people_." Naruto chuckled to himself before jumping down from the building he had been crouched on. He landed in the middle of a crowd of people, drawing shouts of alarm. He didn't pay them any mind as he began to follow after the purple-haired woman at a brisk pace.

He didn't know why exactly he was following after her. He had no real motive. He didn't even know the woman's name. The only thing that was remotely interesting about her was her hair color …

And the mark on her neck that she tried to keep hidden.

Naruto was aware of his own mark. It was hard not to notice the thing whenever he looked in the mirror. As a young child, he had been pretty adamant on hiding it since it seemed to draw a lot of ire from the people around him. Now, though, he couldn't care less. It was an object of curiosity for him. No one, not even Kabuto, seemed willing to tell him of its origin.

He wanted answers.

"Why are you following me?" The blond froze at the sound of the voice. His eyes moved up and met with the angry ones of the woman he had been tailing. He had been caught.

"I just wanted to say hi." Naruto quickly learned that that was the wrong answer when the woman reached into a pouch on her hip and sent a kunai speeding toward his head. The blond just barely managed to raise his hand up and grab the weapon. Unfortunately, his reflexes weren't completely up to par and he ended up grabbing it by its blade, leaving him with a cut and bleeding hand.

"Are you finished being a smart ass or should I throw the next one even harder?" Anko grunted out. Naruto let his hold on the kunai to release, allowing the blood covered tool to drop down onto the ground. He quickly smeared the blood off of his hand onto his pants before looking back up at the annoyed woman.

"Well, I really want to know where you got that mark on your neck." Almost instinctively, her hand reached up to grab at her neck. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I got it from a horrible creature. I don't even think labeling her a a human would be fitting. A bit h is a better word to describe her." Anko spat out.

"Does the woman have pale skin and ye-" That was all Naruto managed to get out before Anko disappeared from his sight. Before he could react, he found a hand wrapped around his throat and his body lifted up from the ground as he was forced face to face with the woman.

"Where is she? Where have you seen her? You tell me right now!" Anko screamed as she held onto the boy's throat. Her arm was nearly shaking from the force she was clutching onto his throat. From the look in her eye, one would think she was trying to murder him.

Naruto said nothing in reply. Whether this was by his own will or because of the fact that Anko was choking him wasn't clear but the blond's mouth remained shut. This seemed to anger the woman as she moved her free hand to grab another kunai.

"Fuck!" Anko shouted as she felt two sharp pricks bite through her wrist. Instinctively, she released her hold on Naruto, allowing him to drop to the ground, while she searched for the origin of her pain. Her eyes managed to catch a glimpse of the body of a white snake just as it fell from her arm and onto the ground. She watched the creature slither across the road and eventually crawl up the outstretched hand of the blond boy she had just been choking.

"You're a bit of an asshole, aren't you lady? You can keep your answers." Naruto said while standing up to his feet. Anko moved to reach out to grab him but found her body uncooperative, causing her to nearly stumble to the ground.

" _Was that snake poisonous?_ " Anko thought to herself as she reached Naruto jump onto the nearest roof. She was helpless as she watched him hop away, leaving her a stumbling mess in the middle of a street.

"I need to get to the Hokage."

* * *

 **AN: I apologize for the delay. I was overcome with a bit of sickness and it put a little hold on all of my writing. I am hoping that this week will be an upload heavy one to make up for the delay. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. PM or review with any questions, comments, concerns, etc. Thank you all. Peace!**

 **P.S Crazy game, right?**


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't trust this, sensei."

"Neither do I, Jiraiya. Neither do I."

For one of the few times in his career, Hiruzen was confused. It didn't happen very often which only served to infuriate the old man. He didn't show it, though. He wouldn't allow his emotions to break in front of his student. His face remained steadfast while he stared down at his desk.

Stretched across its surface was a single scroll. Its original seal had been broken carefully under the observation of the toad sannin and several high-ranking intelligence ninja. After a full twelve hours of analysis, the scroll had been sent to him through his student.

"Why would she do this?" Jiraiya said more to himself than his teacher as he snatched the scroll off the desk. Hiruzen sat still as his student began to pace around his office with the scroll in hand. Every once in awhile, a low curse would leave the man's lips as his eyes scanned over the document.

"It's obvious. You would see it if you calm down." His student turned to him with a bewildered look on his face. Hiruzen inwardly sighed at the expression. His student could be so reliable at times but the man's emotions made him so stupid during other moments.

"It's Naruto, Jiraiya. I don't know why or for what reason but Orochimaru is obsessed with the boy. And, she wants him alive. Those people are a detriment to his health." Hiruzen said before standing up to his feet.

It was at moments like this that Jiraiya still felt like a child. The old man was a full head shorter than him even with the Hokage hat on yet Jiraiya felt small in all the wrong ways. As the Hokage walked across the room, the sannin felt himself freeze it. Flashbacks of his genin days, back when Hiruzen truly was bigger than him, played through his mind. This moment felt no different. Inwardly, as Hiruzen took the scroll out of his hands, Jiraiya couldn't help but envision the day that occurred thirty something years ago; The day he had managed to cut himself, Tsunade and Jiraiya with a sword he had stolen from the man.

"Nine S-class rogue shinobi. Each of their names, abilities, current appearances and reasons for joining. Even information on their mysterious leader, Pein." Jiraiya watched his sensei briefly looked over the document before rolling it back up. The man deposited the scroll into his robes before turning to face his student.

"She's trying to warn us, Jiraiya. We know why but not yet the details. That is your job. It's my job to put this information to use." From years of working together, Jiraiya knew that was a signal for him to go out and do what he was best at, spying. He gave a subtle nod to his teacher before opening the closest window and jumping out of it. Hiruzen watched him go for a few seconds before closing the window and turning to his desk.

"I don't understand you, Orochimaru. I don't think I ever will."

* * *

"I'll kill them all. I swear I'll kill every single last one of them. How dare they! How DARE they!" Kabuto couldn't help but flinch as one of his master's fire jutsus exploded only a few feet away from her. The woman standing by her side didn't so much as move an inch at the sight of the flames. She remained stoic, still as a statute while she stared at the raging sannin.

"Orochimaru-Sama, maybe it wo-" That was all Kabuto managed to get out before he found a hand wrapped around his neck. His connection to the ground was stolen from him when the sannin then proceeded to lift him from the ground. His hands went up to the woman's wrists in an attempt to make her relinquish look but judging from the look in her eyes, his actions were for nothing.

"Watch your mouth because the next word out of it may be your last." Orochimaru all but hissed out at the white-haired boy. Kabuto couldn't even nod in responses. He could only continue to stare into the woman's fury filled eyes in the hopes that she somehow picked up on his intentions.

Luckily for him, she did. After a few oxygen-less seconds, Orochimaru released her hold, allowing Kabuto to fall to the ground. The sannin didn't even bother checking on the boy's condition as she turned her attention to the only other person in the room.

"You get to Konoha immediately. I don't care what you have to do or who you have to kill, let nothing stop you. I want you by his side within two days. Leave now!" The person didn't even bother to verbally answer the enraged sannin. They simply nodded before dashing out of the room, leaving Kabuto alone with the woman.

"They want to hurt my prince? I'll kill every single one of them. They'll burn in the acid of my snakes before they touch a single hair on his head. They'll die. Every single one of them will…" As the sannin mumbled to herself, Kabuto picked himself off the ground and quickly, but silently, made his way out the chamber. Once out, he silently closed the door behind him with a sigh, separating himself from the raging sannin.

"Dear Kami … she's going crazy."

* * *

Everything around him was red. His vision, his taste, his smell, nearly every single part of him was consumed by the color. It felt hot, almost like fire, yet it did not burn. It filled him warmth. It was fiery, destructive and all consuming yet it was still warmth.

" _They won't hurt you. I promise they won't. I'll protect you until you can protect yourself_." The red responded to the comforting words of the disjointed voice. It almost felt as if someone was stroking his head. The feeling was odd yet Naruto found himself embracing the sensation.

" _They'll never take you from me_."

And with those words, he was propelled out of his sleep. His upper body shot up while his eyes shot open. It took only a moment to notice his odd lack of breath and immediately sucked in a long one. His hand rose up to clutch at his chest as he slowly released the breath.

"That was more intense than usual." Naruto mumbled to himself while swinging his legs over the side of his bed. The dreams weren't new to him. He had been having him ever since he could remember. They had become a part of his normal routine, one that he actually enjoyed very much. They offered him comfort that he rarely got from the village. He would never admit it to anyone but he had become very attached to the woman in his 'dreams'.

"These aren't dreams." The blond huffed out to himself while standing up to his feet. As he stretched his limbs, his mind began to go over the contents of his 'dream' with the mysterious women who he suspected to be the legendary sannin, Orochimaru.

That conclusion had not come to him easily. Yet, the person who had given him the least help was the one who led him to that thought. Anko's violent outburst had provided him with the final piece of the puzzle that he, and with a little bit of hidden help from Kabuto, had been putting together.

As he moved to brush his teeth, the boy's eyes landed on the mark on his shoulder. A cursed seal. He couldn't help but scoff at the name. He could see nothing about the mark that was cursed. It provided him a connection with one of the most loving people he had ever encountered. The benefits of the thing far outweighed the nonexistent detriments.

"Why me?" That thought echoed through his mind constantly nowadays. She was a sannin and he was an orphan. Why take an interest in him? What made him so special? Why show so much affection.

"Its too early to early for this." The blond mumbled to himself while setting down his toothbrush. His stomach was calling him and he knew he needed to eat before heading to the academy. Sitting in class by itself was already insufferable but doing it on an empty stomach made it nearly unbearable.

With those thoughts, Naruto stepped away from the sink and moved to go toward the kitchen. His journey would have been rather easy if it wasn't for a figure standing in the doorway of his bathroom.

The blond had settled into a defensive stance before he could even draw in his next breath. Without a kunai, he wasn't at full fighting capacity but his lessons with Kabuto had left him adept when it came to hand to hand fighting. While his muscles coiled in preparation for a fight, his eyes began to scan over the intruder.

She was a unique looking woman. Her silver hair and emerald green eyes made her stand out from any other female the blond had encountered. Her face was marked in red as two dots sat at the center of her forehead while her eyes were lined with the color. Her upper body was modestly covered with a black training blond and an oversized cloak that hung loosely off her shoulders. If it wasn't for the bra, Naruto was sure he would've gotten an eye full of her breasts due to the deep valley in the cloak. A large purple rope was tied around her waist, seemingly keeping her cloak in place. A pair of skintight black pants covered her legs while she wore nothing on her bandaged feet.

"Who are you?" Naruto questioned after several moments of silence. He had expected the woman to leap at him once he noticed her presence yet she did absolutely nothing. She just stood there silent, her eyes never leaving his from.

"I am Kimimaro." Naruto furrowed his brow at the dead tone that came out of her mouth. He shifted his feet slightly, once again expecting some type of reaction from the woman only to receive none once again.

"Why are you here?"

"My master sent me." Not a single fluctuation or even hint of emotion accompanied the words. The boy's confusion over the whole situation was quickly rising with each passing moment.

"Your master?"

"Orochimaru-Sama." Naruto nearly jumped out of his stance at the mention of the name. The more rational side of his brain quickly reminded him that the woman in front of him was still an intruder and limited his reaction to a simple jaw drop.

"I am your knight, Naruto-Sama." When Kimimaro lowered herself down to one knee before bowing her head, Naruto couldn't help but break out of his stance. This was not how he thought this encounter was going to go.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto shouted out at the bowing woman. At the sound of his voice, she slowly raised her head to look at him but remained kneeled down.

"I am your knight. I am yours to guide and use. My purpose is to serve and protect you." She bowed her head once she finished speaking, missing the shocked expression on the boy's face.

This was an … odd development. If he was being honest with himself, Naruto was a bit unsure how he felt about the situation. He wasn't quite sure if the shock was numbing his emotions but he wasn't outraged by Kimimaro's presence. If he truly thought about it, he found within himself a tiny kernel of happiness sprouting.

"You said Orochimaru sent you, right?" The blond's hesitant question was met with a nod from the kneeling woman, the blond decided to push forward.

"Why did she do that?"

"You are our prince. Without you, Orochimaru would be lost. You are her joy, her light that she needs to keep lit." The gravity of her words was offset greatly by the apathetic tone of her voice.

The woman's words struck him like a truck, nearly sending him off his feet. His mind was reeling, his focus no longer with him. The balance he had honed underneath Kabuto left him, leaving him stumbling toward the floor. His arm instinctively reached out for the sink for support. He soon found his actions to be unnecessary as two pair of arms caught him mid-fall.

"Please be careful, my prince." Unconsciously, blood began to rush to the boy's check as the woman basically cradled him. The situation had reached an outlandish point where the blond's brain was quickly becoming unable to process. With the little bit of brainpower he had left, he pushed himself back up to his, with help from his 'knight', before turning to face the woman.

"Thank you." Naruto mumbled out. His words were met with a nod from the woman before she settled into a stiff stance. The blond watched the sudden transformation with weary eyes as his thoughts ran rampant in his head.

He had a knight know. The thought of it was weird but oddly pleasant to the boy. The fact that the woman had been sent by Orochimaru made the fact so much more pleasant. Any doubt of the woman's care for him went flying out of the door at this moment. The sannin cared for him. That felt nice.

"What can you tell me about Orochimaru? The real her, not the crap you can read in a history book."

For the first time since meeting Naruto, Kimimaro showed some emotion in the form of excitement. Her eyes met with Naruto as the edges of her mouth began to subtly curved upward.

Then, she began to speak.

* * *

 **AN: New chapter! I hope that you all** hav **enjoyed. PM or review me with any questions, concerns, comments, suggestions, etc. Have a good rest of the day. Peace!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Shit, shit, shit, shit! Kakuzu, man! Fucking help me. Get me away from this crazy bitch."

No matter how much his partner screamed, Kakuzu found himself grounded to his place on the ground. It may have been the human-sized snake standing a few feet in front of him or the horror in his partner's voice but the ancient ninja was not moving any time soon.

She had descended on them like the snake he knew she was. How long she had been tracking them, he did not know. He only knew that she came prepared. Her initial attack had been swift, instantly separating them from one another. Hidan had been left to deal with the sannin while he had gotten the better end of the deal by having to deal with a horde of her snakes.

He didn't know how his partner was faring even with the rapid cursing he heard from the opposite side of the clearing. The man's foul mouth made it hard to get an idea of when he was actually agitated or being himself. Even if he did know, he wouldn't have cared much. He had his own matters to attend to, namely the dozen or so snakes summoned by his former colleague.

The reptiles had been infuriating and difficult to kill. They worked in tandem with one another and refused to go down after a single strike. It took him longer than he would ever admit to cut their numbers down to a single one. By the time he had managed this, he decided he would throw a glance over at his teammate to see how the man was doing. He hadn't heard the man's childish cursing for a bit which would only mean trouble for him.

He had expected his idiot of a partner to lose. Not matter how 'immortal' the man was, the man was crap when it came to fighting. Orochimaru was leagues ahead of Hidan in every single form of combat. The man was bound to get his ass kicked.

"Kakuzu! Stop fucking staring and help!"

The sight that greeted him was a bit more unexpected than he imagined. Hidan had lost, which wasn't the surprising part. Even his lack of arms and legs weren't all that surprising. What made the whole situation surprising to Kakuzu was the snake that had worked its jaw all the way up to the man's chest level.

"The fucking acid shit is burning me. Shit!" The immortal shouted out as the snake inched its way up his body. Without any limbs, Hidan was completely defenseless against the creature. Even if he did manage to somehow escape the jaws of the creature, Orochimaru stood ready behind them both, watching the scene with an odd sense of satisfaction.

"Kakuzu, you fucking fuck! You're just goin-" The man's voice came to a quick end as the snake's stomach acid burned through the bottom of his lungs, leaving him mute and gargling blood. This didn't stop the shinobi from continuing his attempts to curse as his mouth remained flapping even as blood dripped and sprayed from his mouth.

"You're as cruel as ever, Kakuzu." His attention was forced away from his dying partner over to his former colleague when the woman spoke. Her piercing yellow eyes drilled into his own as she began to walk around her feasting summon.

"Not a single ounce of emotion from you," The woman paused here to bend down and pick up Hidan's discarded scythe. The weapon came swinging upward with an ease that even Hidan hadn't mastered as the woman shouldered the thing.

"I would expect nothing else from you."

"What do you want, woman?" Kakuzu's gruff voice left him as he prepared to summon one of his hearts. He had learned from working with the woman that she was a snake. Ignoring how deadly she was would be his own death.

"I want your death!" Orochimaru screamed out before heaving the scythe at the man. Her unoccupied summon ducked down low and went slithering toward the rogue nin right as the weapon passed over its head.

Hidan sidestepped the airborne weapon before thrusting his arm out at the approaching snake. From the stitching that decorated his arm came spilling forth thin, black wires. The wires seemed to respond to some unseen stimuli as they shot through the air toward the approaching reptile. The snake managed to avoid the first few of the wires, leaving the things to puncture the ground in its wake, yet it could not avoid them all. One wire met its mark and pierced its skull, dispelling it in a cloud of smoke.

Kakuzu knew he wasn't out of the shit quite yet. He spun around to catch the sight of Orochimaru descending upon him with her sword in hand. The man threw up a quick guard but he knew it was meaningless. The woman's sword sliced through the flesh of his arms like butter before descending toward his head. Luckily for him, his arms had managed to slow the sword just enough to give him an opportunity to jump out of its path. Instead of slicing off the top half of his head, it instead buried its way into the ground where he once stood.

From the standpoint of any shinobi, it would look like Kakuzu was all but doomed. Both of his arms were severed from the elbow and downward in the exchange, leaving him completely defenseless. Yet, the man did not back down, even as the sannin pulled her sword from out the ground and pointed it at him.

"Your false immortality will be put to an end today, old man." Kakuzu narrowed her eyes at the slight jab before holding his arms outward. Like before, innumerable black stitching shot out from the stump of the man's arms and flew toward his discarded arms. The stitching seemed to almost plug back into the halves of the limbs before they retracted back to the shinobi, bringing the limbs with them. It didn't take long for them to return to their owner before mindlessly stitching the two halves back together.

"Konoha is offering a 10 million yen bounty on your head." The man said flippantly as he tested the connection between the two halves of his arms. When he was satisfied, he focused his full attention onto Orochimaru as lines and lines of stitching began to seep from his back.

"I plan to collect that today." Orochimaru narrowed her eyes at the threat. She said nothing in reply. The time to talk had come to an end. She had dealt with one and now another stood in her sights. He belonged to the group of people who wanted to harm her prince. There was only one thing that remained for her to do.

She struck.

* * *

A bird sang softly from its position high in a tree. Its head stood pointed skyward as it tried to gain a glimpse of the glaring sun while wanting to stay protected from its oppressing heat. The heat had made it grow tired much earlier than it had participated, forcing it to take shelter within the leaves of the tree. Now it wanted to see just how long it would have to wait to take flight once more without being fried by the glowing ball of heat.

The bird was completely ignorant to another presence hidden amongst the tree. This figure had also ascended the piece of nature to escape the wrath of the sun yet now their attention was focused on the small bird. The figure's vision stayed locked onto the creature while it began to steadily raise its arm. The middle finger, index finger, and thumb of the figure's hand stood outstretched while its remaining fingers stayed trapped against its palm.

The figure looked to be taking aim at the bird with its outstretched fingers as its arm steadied. At that instant, nothing but the sound of the passing wind and the bird's chirping filled the air. Then, the figure's thumb came crashing down onto the bridge of his index finger.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, almost as if a trigger had been pulled, a small pop echoed through the air before the bird went still. The stiffness didn't last for very long as the creature teetered on the branch for several seconds. Several dots of blood could be seen on its feathery coat before it dropped from the branch to the ground.

It did not chirp anymore.

"Was that really necessary, Kimimaro?" The figure sighed out while running a hand through his blond mane of hair. His eyes stayed glued onto the unmoving form of the bird. What had been red dots now stood as a sea of red on the bird's coat.

It was a rather sad sight to see.

"I do not question, Naruto-Sama. You point and I shoot." The blond shook his head at the woman's comment before turning his head upward at the sound of her voice. Crouched on the branch above him was his 'knight' and the last of the Kaguya, Kimimaro.

"I question you a lot." The woman said nothing in response to the blond's statement. She remained staring. Naruto shook his head at the development. He expected nothing else from his 'loyal knight', as she liked to call herself.

She had come speeding into his life like a wrecking ball and had shaped a rather unique and sizable hole in his daily routine. To the blond, he truly did feel like a prince underneath her care. She watched over every movement and cleaned after every step he took.

It was a little discomforting at first for the boy. He wasn't ready to have someone judging every single one of his actions. But, after discovering the woman's personality, Naruto knew he need not worry.

If there was one thing he had learned about the woman, it was the fact that she was loyal to him down to the very last drop of blood in her body. The idea of a bad thought involving him did not exist in her mind. He was infallible. He could do no wrong. He was perfect.

That concept was frightening and exhilarating at the same time for the blond. The knowledge of knowing that he could walk out in the middle of the street and kill fifty civilians in cold blood yet still have a person who would hold him in an esteem higher than anyone else was almost unbelievable. Yet, every time he looked at Kimimaro he saw it staring right at his face.

"You graduate tomorrow." Naruto's ears perked up at the sound of the woman's voice. The conversations between the two were rarely initiated by her.

"I don't graduate tomorrow," The blond chuckled out before pushing himself from off the tree branch. He landed fifty feet below in a crouch with a heavy thud. As he rose back up to his full height, he heard another thud-this one much softer than his own-land next to him, signaling Kimimaro had followed after him.

"You can't graduate into being a ninja. You can't graduate from practicing on training dummies to killing people in a single day. That's not how it works." The blond paused here to look back at his knight.

"I'm just taking another step closer."

"Closer to what?" Kimimaro asked with a hint of curiosity playing along her words. There weren't very many things she didn't know about her prince so when the opportunity came for her to learn something new about the new, she struck quick.

"Closer to being a real ninja. Closer to growing up. Closer to kami." Naruto paused here to flash the woman a smirk. It was at this moment that the Kaguya learned that she was being played with.

"You're too cruel, Naruto-Sama." The woman's dead tone mixed with her choice of word brought a chuckle out from the blond. He couldn't help. The contrast was too much for him to bare without laughing.

"When you ask questions you know the answer to, I can't help it." The blond flashed her a wide smile at this.

"I have one goal right now. Ever since the day you came into my life, it's been the same goal." Kimimaro couldn't help herself as a smile of her own began to grow. She loved it when her prince acted like this. It was intoxicating to the woman.

"I'm going to be one step closer to meeting Orochimaru."

* * *

 **AN: Hello! I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. All of your questions will be probably be answered in the next few chapters but feel free to PM and review with any questions, comments, suggestions, concerns, etc. Thank you all for reading and have a good rest of the day.**


	8. Chapter 8

He blinked. Then he blinked. Then they both blinked at the same time. Then silence.

"Ah … sensei." Kakashi broke eye contact with the blond to look over at his pink-haired future disciple. The young girl had the look of someone who wanted to shout at him yet didn't have the guts to do so.

He found people like that annoying.

"Ma … what were we doing?" Kakashi knew that the amount of enjoyment he got from the girl's attempt to hide her agitation was too much for a grown man of his stature. Yet, he couldn't find the strength within his thirty-something-year-old frame to stop himself from doing just that.

"We were introducing ourselves to each other before you got in a staring contest with Naruto." The last part was an unnecessary addition but Kakashi didn't comment. It wouldn't do well to agitate his team so much.

Yet.

"Ah, yes." The jounin seemed to snap to attention at her words, a fact that managed to calm the girl down, if only by a small margin. The man clapped his hands together before spreading his attention over all of the children sat before him.

"Welcome! Its nice to meet yo-"

"You were three hours late." Kakashi paused in his greeting at the sudden intrusive voice. He looked over to his right and saw a young dark-haired boy sitting on the ledge of the roof while sending him a rather nasty look.

"Was I late? I don't remember mentioning any specific time to meet." He finished the statement with a slight upturn of his lips while he closed his eyes. He missed the agitated twitch his words brought to the Uchiha boy but he could definitely sense it.

That was good enough for him.

"You're Kakashi Hatake." Another voice stole away the man's attention. He looked over to his left and laid his eyes on what he considered his most interesting student, Naruto Uzumaki. The blond was sat in a similar position as Sasuke yet the look he was sending him was much more curious and less nasty than the other boy.

He liked that.

"I am." Kakashi said with a sort of dramatic flair. He got recognized pretty often from his exploits, but it was rare that the younger generation knew much about him. The fact that one of his possible students knew of him was a pretty massive ego boost.

"So, is it true that you were the one to discover Orochimaru's experimentation on the first Hokage's bloodline release?" That question was not one he expected. Before Kakashi could even begin to try and conjure up a response, Naruto interjected.

"Is it also true that she froze you in place with a single glance?" All the excitement and joy the jounin had been feeling came undone in a single instant with those words. The man's brow furrowed while he sent a narrowed eye look at the excited blond.

"Where did you hear this?" The two other occupants of the roof shared a look between each other. They could sense the agitation in the older man's voice which, to everyone else, would've been a clear sign to drop the situation.

Naruto was not everyone else.

"Read it in a book." The blond's flippant response irked the man even further but he remained outwardly calm. It wouldn't do well for him if he broke his 'cool' facade only minutes into meeting his team. He could already feel the questioning eyes of his other team potent genin trained on him, awaiting some type of response. His next comment would no doubt leave a lasting expression.

"That's a pretty detailed book. I didn't know kids like you could even read." Kakashi decided to go on the offensive. If you look past his attempt at insulting the blond, he was hoping to bait the boy into getting angry and possibly reveal where he actually learned that information from.

He also wanted to insult the boy.

Surprisingly, Naruto didn't take the bait. Instead of reacting in anger to the man's comment, he simply let out a small chuckle before going silent. Kakashi furrowed his brow at the unexpected reaction before turning to face the other two occupants of the roof. They looked as confused as he felt. Instead of commenting, Kakashi decided to press forward and deal with the oddity later.

"Moving on!" The man clapped his hands together in a sort of mock enthusiasm while sweeping his gaze over the entirety of his genin team. One bored expression, one curious expression and one expression he couldn't even see because they were facing away from him greeted him.

It was at this moment that Kakashi knew that this team was going to be more troublesome than anything he had faced so far in his life.

* * *

It had been a long day. Quite possibly, he had experienced the longest day of his life. From the moment he awoke to this very exact moment had felt like an eternity. Each passing moment of the day had added more and more to the torture of day, a torture that he was glad to finally be free of.

It was a few days after his team barely managed to stop themselves from abysmally failing themselves back to the Academy. It was only by a stroke of luck born out of kindness he had and a bit of reluctant teamwork that they had managed to pass.

This day had made him regret ever being kind.

Being a ninja had not lived up to the expectations he had set for it. Kabuto had done an amazing job in clearing away his initial delusions concerning the deadly profession yet he had still clung on to some of the fantastical nature that surrounded ninja.

Today cleared away any remnants of that. His first day as a ninja had been spent painting the walls of a middle-aged woman's home. His team, consisting of the last loyal Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, had suffered through the task together under the guise of a reluctant and completely temporary alliance. With each stroke of the paintbrush, his hope for the future of his ninja career crumbled.

It had been a hard day.

But now was the time for relaxation. At least, that's what the boy told himself as he cracked open the door to his home. He slid through the gap, holding it open for a few seconds afterward for his unseen shadower, before closing the door, leaving him 'alone' in the darkness of the room.

The first sound that greeted him was a soft hissing coming from his right. His cerulean eyes, shining bright in the darkness of the room, cut over toward the sound. The pupils in his eyes enlarged to a size that would be considered unnatural for almost any human. For Naruto though, it was another useful ability he had since his birth.

With his pupils taking up 90% of his eyes, the room shrouded in darkness became much more clear to the boy. He was able to spot the few pieces of furniture, a couch, table and sofa, that littered his living room floor. He was able to spot the various scrolls that were spread all across the room. And, he was able to see the nest of a dozen or so snakes that was settled in the corner of the room.

"Lazy bastards." Even as the words left his mouth, the snakes came surging from their nest toward him. The blond stood still, even when the reptiles reached his feet and began to ascend his body. Half of them disappeared beneath his clothing while the other half settled in his hair and on his shoulders.

Without pause, Naruto moved toward his bedroom. The soft touch of the snakes' tongues teased his ears and neck yet he did nothing to stop it. He had become accustomed to the feeling and much preferred it over the bites he received from the creatures when they first met.

The blond's footsteps went silent as he transitioned from the wooden floor of his living room to the carpeted floor of his bedroom. With the transition, he reached down and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the rest of the snakes that had coiled themselves around various parts of his body. His stripping earned him several discontented hisses from his passenger, hisses he responded to with a roll of his eyes.

"I do this almost every day. You guys should know its coming." Naruto spoke out loud while throwing the shirt over his shoulder. Once more, his response came in the form of hissing that he ignored. His focus was on something much more important.

Hidden away in the corner of the blond's room was a small desk that was swamped with paper of all kinds. Anyone that knew Naruto knew that the desk was the boy's sanctuary. Despite its disorderly appearance, it held a level of importance to the boy that not many things could match. Hours every day were spent at the desk for the blond so he was pretty familiar with its content.

That was why he was a little surprised when he something new sat upon its surface. Surprise morphed into interest that quickly turned into caution as his mind caught up with him. The snakes hanging off his body grew quiet while he began to lower himself low to the ground. With a caution born from his training, his right foot crept forward while his fingers tested the air around him. He would've liked to have had a kunai in hand for that moment but he would have to do with what he had.

Before the blond could drop too deep in his precautions, his eyes swept over the scroll once more, revealing to him something interesting. His cautious approach broke in a matter of moments as he stood back up to his full height. The snakes around his head hissed loudly as he crossed the distance between himself and the desk in a matter of a few strides. When he arrived, with almost no hesitation, he reached down and swept the scroll up in his hand.

"Orochimaru-Sama has been here." A week ago, the sound of Kimimaro's voice would've startled now. The woman had an annoying habit of staying silent for long periods of times then speaking. Now though, he had become somewhat used to the woman's antics. He was too entranced with the object he was holding to pay her too much attention anyway.

The scroll itself was made up of rather plain material. It sat at a width about half as wide as his desk and nearly the thickness of his forearm. Its contents was with a pretty, red bow that was looped in an intricate knot.

What was holding the blond's attention was the purple wax seal holding the scroll together. Sitting at about the size of both of his thumbs, the thing was absolutely beautiful to the boy. It reminded him so vividly of his own cursed seal. The spiraling mark surrounded by the gaping snake looked lifelike in the deep purple. As Naruto ran his finger over the mark, he felt a gentle vibration coming from the mark. With a nearly unconscious action, he responded to the hum using his chakra, sending it springing forth out of his finger and into the seal. The instant the two met, the seal snapped, falling to the ground in two halves. The ribbon surrounding the bow came undone as the blond pulled down on one of its end. As more and more of the scroll's innards became unfurled, the expression on the blond's face morphed. Behind him, Kimimaro watched with hidden interest as her prince began to shake.

"Naruto-Sama." The Kaguya broke through her bout of silence with a voice full of concern. The blond didn't reply immediately. He seemed to be too focused on the scroll. But, after nearly a full minute, the boy lowered the scroll and turned to face the woman. She nearly jumped across the room toward him when she saw tears threatening to break forth from his eyes but stopped herself when she saw the large smile on his face.

"I can't wait."

* * *

"Where is she? Where is she?" The shout managed to carry through the entirety of the complex. Close to its source, its volume managed to shake the walls as its owner raged. The shinobi standing by the entrance of the line of cells looked around nervously at the phenomenon. Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked as calm as ever as she stared into the cell in front of her.

"She is with her prince." Coming out of her mouth, the words brought her so much pleasure. The thought of her prince underneath the shield of the tenacious Kaguya comforted her beyond belief.

It didn't seem to have the same effect on the occupant of the cell. He whipped his head around toward the source of the noise before taking off at Orochimaru. The woman stood still during his approach and when the man slammed his misshapen claw into the bars of his cell. The seals lining the bars blocked the attack from cutting the sannin but that didn't stop the other shinobi present from flinching. The woman sent a quick look of disgust at their sign of weakness before returning her cool gaze over at the raging man.

"You bring her back. You bring her back. I'll kill you if you don't bring her back!" The man screeched while slamming his arm onto the bars. Orochimaru shook her head at the declaration before taking a daring step toward the cell.

"She is not coming back. As long as my prince lives, she will stand by his side."

"Then I'll kill the little bast-" That was all the man managed to get out before Orochimaru appeared in the cell with him. Before he could even think to swipe at the woman, she grabbed onto his outstretched arm and pulled it toward her, forcing it to its full length. She then opened her mouth and out came her tongue with Kusanagi wrapped in its grasp. Its journey through the air was short-lived before the sword found itself buried into the thick, gray flesh of the man's arm. With a swift jerk of her tongue, Orochimaru carved a hot line out of the man's arm with the weapon, separating him from his arm.

Despite the severity of his injury, the man wasn't halted in his anger. With a roar, he sent his normal arm punching forward toward the woman's face. Orochimaru moved her head to the side, avoiding the slow blow with ease before swiping at the outstretched limb with her sword. Unlike his enlarged, misshapen arm, this arm offered little resistance as the blade sliced through its flesh. The man stumbled backward, howling in a mixture pain and frustration while staring at his loss limb. Its screech didn't last for very long due to Orochimaru dashing at him and nearly crushing his throat within her grip.

"You do not speak badly of my prince! Speak ill of him ever again and I'll ensure that the last thing you'll see is Kimimaro's blade covered in your blood." Orochimaru hissed out while choking the man. He attempted a response but found his words didn't process as clearly while being choked.

"Kimimaro is loyal to him and him alone. You may be loyal to her but she would be the first to slit your throat if you ever lay a hand on our prince." Her voice settled into a nearly inaudible whisper as she pushed her face closer to the man's. The rage that had been so clear on his face only moments prior had quickly began to fade, revealing to her specks of insecurity and fear.

She could work with that.

"As of right now, you are meaningless to her. Her life is now solely for our prince. Why is it do you think she hasn't come to visit?" She watched as the man's emotional barriers broke, showing the hurt and betrayal he was feeling. Before those emotions could be converted into more anger, she pressed forward.

"The only way you'll ever find meaning to her is by picking up the same flag she bears. You will serve my prince." In the man's state of emotional weakness, Orochimaru barked out the order. She knew her words would have an effect, though she wasn't clear on just what that effect would be. She was merely hoping for the best.

Luckily for her, she received just that. Like an abused puppy, the man seemed to shrink in on himself within seconds while giving a small nod. The woman released her hold on his throat, allowing him to take in a breath he desperately needed. Orochimaru watched as he sucked in several deep breaths before directing a shaky gaze up toward her.

"Will I be with her?" The man's voice was much more docile now. His enraged stage had passed, leaving him as demure and gentle as ever.

"When the time comes and if my prince sees it fit, yes. I plan for you to be his dog, a force he can unleash on matters he wishes not to dirty his hands with." Orochimaru decided to not hold back the truth from the man. She wasn't going to risk her prince having to deal with the enraged male in future because of her deceit.

"Okay … I'll do it. As long as Kimimaro is there, I'll do it." Orochimaru nodded at his words before looking down at his damaged arms. She was pleased to see that the wounds caused by her sword were already beginning to heal. New tissue had begun replacing that which had been lost.

"Get this man some new clothes and food," Orochimaru said while turning her back to the man. The bars to the cell slid open, allowing her to walk free out of the cell. The shinobi standing outside were already in a hurry at her words while her echoed steps carried her away from the cell.

"I will not have my prince's new pet stay unclothed and unfed. He deserves only the best."

* * *

 _ **AN: Well, this was a chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I decided to skip the bell test and keep the team the same. I felt no need to change either considering how this story will play out. Sorry for the wait, I will hopefully get back on a solid update schedule. Thank you all for reading. PM or review with any questions, concerns, comments, concerns, etc. Have a good rest of the day!**_


	9. Chapter 9

" _This isn't enough_."

The thought drifted through her mind while her eyes washed over the scene below her. From the hill she stood upon, she could see the entirety of the ninja force working below. Their tiny forms and rapid movements made them seem more akin to ants than humans to her. In the grand scheme of her plans, they were no better than ants. Their purpose was to follow. Nothing more and nothing less.

"It's not enough." She mumbled out this time, no longer able to constrain her frustration. This had been the third stronghold she had oversaw within the past month. The last of the massive steel blocks the shinobi were maneuvering would set in place her complete hold of the Land of Rice. With its completion, her collar on the neck of the country would be secured and she could then turn her focus inward.

"Even then…" Her thoughts trailed off while she turned her eyes upward toward the horizon. She was preparing the beginnings of an Empire for her prince. A simple chokehold on the Land of Rice would not be enough. Even a single nation would not suffice their goal. She needed more. He would need more.

Without a single uttered word, a clone came into existence beside the woman. The two met eyes for a brief moment before the copy took off running. Orochimaru watched her go for several moments before returning her attention back onto the ninja below.

She would require help. The realization of that disgusted her, enough to nearly make her gag but she kept it down. She would swallow her pride for the sake of her prince. Her clone would send Guren to act as her envoy to Iwagakure. Of her subordinates, she was one of the few that she could trust not act rash in the face of such an important matter. Plus, Orochimaru knew the presence of such a rare Kekkei Genkai user would be too much for the old Onoki to resist. The potential for more would have the old man eating from her hands.

"Soon, my prince. Soon." The woman whispered out loud before jumping from the hill. Her destination was for one of the fortresses lying within the exterior of the country. From there, she would set off toward Sunagakure.

She had a kage to speak to.

* * *

"There's no need for hesitation, my prince." Even the words from his faithful knight couldn't undo the tension within his gut. He sat at the center of his bed while Kimimaro stood at its foot. Rolled out in the distance between the two sat the scroll Naruto had discovered upon his desk.

"I know, Kimimaro. It's just…" He wasn't quite sure what 'it' was. After everything he experienced from Orochimaru, one would think he would jumping at the gift laid out before him. The words written on it described gifts chosen exclusively for him out of pure love. It couldn't get much better than that. Yet … he still hesitated.

"Naruto-sama," He moved his head upward and met eyes with the last Kaguya. The woman had moved from the foot of the bed and now stood at its side. She leaned her upper body over the bed, moving her face closer to the blond's. The sensation of her breath blowing against his face became the only thing he could focus on while their eyes remained locked.

"Orochimaru-sama loves you, do you understand?" She started off, prompting the boy to give a slow nod while remained captivated by her jade eyes.

"You are her prince. You are her world. Everything she does, she does for your sake. Harming you would be the same as harming herself." The conviction within the woman's voice began to pull away at the knot of tension within the pit of his stomach. By the end, he felt it become completely undone, filling him with ease. He nodded yet again, his actions bringing a small smile to the Kaguya's face. She then reached down and took one of his hands in hers. He noticed the smile drop from her face as she looked down at their joined hands.

"Forgive me, Naruto-sama." Kimimaro said before the blond experienced what felt like a paper cut upon his index finger. He looked down at his hand and saw that a thin red line now ran down the center of the finger. He moved his attention back to the Kaguya and saw the woman was now doing everything to avoid meeting his eyes. He caught a brief glance of the emerald orbs and saw that they exuded guilt.

"Allow me." Before he could protest, she began to guide his bloodied finger down toward the scroll. Unwilling to fight her pull, he allowed himself to be controlled. His finger met with the rough surface of the scroll, his blood immediately soaking into it. A moment after he made contact, a cloud of smoke erupted from the scroll, obscuring both Naruto and Kimimaro's vision. The blond pulled his hand out of the woman's grip and away from the scroll while she remained staring at the dispersing cloud. The smoke stayed present for a few fleeting moments before disappearing from view, revealing its hidden content.

Rows of pristine clothing were the first thing that greeted the boy's sight. Silk robes, velvet bottoms, clothes he would've never imagined in his possession sat in front of him. He ran a hesitant hand over them, not believing them to be true, yet the soft touch that greeted him told him otherwise. He moved his attention to another section of the scroll, his eyes immediately moving to the soft shine of metal. Several more rows of clothes greeted him, yet these were much different. Where the others were made from some of the softest material he had ever touched, these felt hard and sturdy beneath his touch. The smooth and clean finish of the clothes betrayed their toughness, he noted while he knocked against their surface. Even in the low light of the room, they seemed to shine a brilliant gold and a magnificent silver.

He turned his eyes away from the armored clothes and pointed them upward. Rows of pristine shuriken and kunai glowed while sat on the scroll. Sitting above them was a black meter long tube that laid in between two rows of darts. At each end of the tube laid a vial filled with a rich purple substance. Straddling the side of each vial were two small, thick sticks with sharpened ends. He reached out and took one of the sticks within his grasp before lifting it from the scroll. He was surprised by the light weight of the thing while moving it closer to his face to observe it.

"That is a Yawara, Naruto-sama." He turned at the sound of her voice and saw that she was staring at his outstretched arm.

"It's meant to be held in one's fist. The sharpened ends act as a deadly addition to a person's taijutsu. Any punch could be turned into a lethal blow, pressure points are easier to target, weak areas on an opponent's bodies are mere targets with this in hand." Kimimaro explained, pushing Naruto's interest in the seemingly simple wooden tool further along. He took several more moments to look over the weapon before setting it down with newly acquired level of care. He then turned his attention to the last remaining feature of the scroll.

"That is a blood seal. It should respond only to the taste of your blood." Kimimaro commented out loud while he ran his eyes over the intricate design of the seal. It's rich purple color stood out amongst the bland tan of the rest of the scroll. Without hesitation, he reached down toward the seal with his cut finger and smeared the remaining blood on it. Like before, at his touch, the seal erupted in a cloud of smoke, though this one was much smaller. Naruto didn't wait for the smoke to clear this time, diving his hands into the smoke the instant after it appeared. With a quick wave of his arms, the smoke soon became disperse and the blond was able to see his greatest gift.

Sitting close to four feet long, the sword was massive in size. With the blade taking up three-fourths of the actual weapon, Naruto found it hard to look away from its pitch-black surface. Fortunately, the intricate looking hilt was a temptation he could not ignore and found his eyes soon drifting down towards it. Like the blade, the hilt itself was a deep midnight black yet the white carvings on it gave it life. A multitude of images, everything from an eight-headed snake to a monstrous kitsune, was carved into its surface. He reached down with slight hesitation and took the hilt into his hands before lifting it from his bed. Its weight was fitting for its size as the blond found himself nearly dropping the weapon on to the floor beside his bed.

"That is an odachi made especially for you, my prince." Naruto managed to regain control of the weapon before turning his head toward the Kaguya. The gloom that had once covered her face was now gone and its place stood a poorly hidden mask of excitement, something that was rare for the stoic woman.

"It's beautiful…" The blond said while returning his attention to the blade. As he ran his eyes over its surface, he noted the lack of imperfections on it. The more he observed the weapon, the more he became entranced with its beauty. Yet…

"I've never used a sword. I have no idea how to fight with one." A frown marred the boy's face while he stared at the weapon. Swordplay had been something Kabuto had never bothered going over with him and he had no plans of learning it by himself. But, with a weapon like this in his possession, it would seem criminal to let it lie in disuse.

He took the hilt of the weapon into one hand and attempted to lift it above his head. He didn't even get it to eye level due to a shaky wrist and a burning shoulder. He ended up dropping the weapon back onto the bed in clear frustration. A sigh left his lips while his eyes stared down at the unmoving blade. It's beauty seemed to mock him, reminding him of its greatness while also stating he'll never be able to properly use it. Frustration began to boil up within the boy and he became close to releasing yet was stopped when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Allow me to assist." Naruto's eyes grew when he saw the sight that greeted him. Inches away from his face was the sharp tip of a stark white bone. His eyes trailed all the way up its length, all thirty-nine inches of it, to see that it came to an end on Kimimaro's palm. He moved his attention northward and saw that the facade on the woman's face had broken away, revealing the bright smile that now sat upon her lips. The smile filled with excitement and the smallest amounts of trepidation.

"I will teach you, my prince."

* * *

"Does your presence here mean I have to look into replacing some guards?"

In the presence of one of the most dangerous rogue ninja in existence, one would expect the fourth Kazekage to be tense. Especially so because of the fact that the woman was in his personal office. This meant she had somehow been able to slip past Suna's borders, make her way through the city, enter into his tower and incapacitate his guards all while remaining unseen.

Yet the man looked calm, lax even, as he stood in the doorway of his office. His eyes remained trained on the dark-haired woman stood at the front of his desk. The smile on her face served only as a hint to her thoughts while the duo locked eyes.

"Maybe so?" Orochimaru offered up a light shrug of her shoulders. "I did not kill them. They're simply unconscious. They didn't offer much of a fight."

Rasa nodded at her words. He wouldn't have expected any of his personal guard to last very long against the woman, especially if she caught them by surprise. He hoped that when they awakened, their bruised egos wouldn't stop them from performing.

With that in mind, the man began to make his way toward his desk. His eyes stood trained on the sannin while each step brought him closer to the woman. Unseen by the sannin, beneath his robes floated a cloud of his signature golden dust. It sat just above his skin, waiting for a single mental command from him to strike out at the woman. If the sannin moved a single muscle, he would send the cloud to engulf her and that would be the end of the snake sannin.

Surprisingly, she did no such thing. Even when he was within arm's length of her she simply remained staring at him, smiling that annoyingly smug smile of her. It unnerved the man but he did not let it show on his face while he took his seat behind his desk. It wouldn't do to tip the sannin off to his unease, though he was sure the woman had some way of divining it.

"You have a nice desk, Rasa-san. Much has improved since I've last visited." Orochimaru said while she turned to look at the man. With her back turned away from the door, she was unable to spot the slow-growing mound of golden dust at the center of the room.

"You must have visited after one of our Ichibi incidents. Unfortunately, Suna has not seen improvement in many years." The man's voice was calm while he leaned back into his seat. The calm had settled upon him once more. He was content with entertaining the woman with a conversation.

Though, one misplaced word would result in her death.

"You're still having problems with the child? How unfortunate." Orochimaru gave a pitiful shake of her head. In reality, Rasa had to hold back a scoff. He had no doubt that the woman had full knowledge of his son's inability to gain full control over the first tailed beast before she arrived in his office. She may not have had possession of a spy network like her former teammate yet that did not mean she was uninformed of such a major problem.

"Why are you here?" The man's patience had run its course. The presence of the sannin was grating against his nerves, especially with her innocent and ignorant facade.

"I'm here to talk about the future of your village." At her words, the Kazekage narrowed his eyes. To him, that sounded like a thinly-veiled threat.

He didn't enjoy being threatened in his own office.

"You have thirty seconds to explain yourself before I crush you and send your remains back Konoha." The scowl that marked his face spoke volumes of the intent behind his words. He was barely containing himself from wiping the woman and her infuriating smile from existence.

The subtle shake of the golden bust behind the sannin tipped her off to the Kazekage's frustration. As much as she wished the push the man's ire further, she restrained herself from doing so. She came seeking an ally, not to make an enemy.

"Do you enjoy your partnership with Konoha?" The sannin posed the question while taking a step toward the man. She made the wise decision of making that her only step when she heard the heavy shift of dust come from behind her.

"The partnership between Konoha and Suna has proven to be beneficial to both parties. Together, we have been able to accomplish great things for both of our villages." The man said with as straight of a face as possible. His neutral facade shattered when the woman began to laugh. He nearly sent his dust leaping toward her back but stopped himself when she began to speak once more.

"Have you regurgitated that babble to your people so much that it is the only thing that comes out of your mouth? Do you take me as a fool, Kazekage-sama?"

"No, I see you and this conversation as a nuisance. Now leave my presence." The man raised his voice while he himself rose up from the seat.

"Do you really want me to leave, Rasa? Do you truly wish to return to mediocrity under the shadow of your supposed ally? How has your village improved in the past decade? In that time that, Konoha has thrived as a military and economic entity. Together, I could raise yo-"

"Enough!" Rasa shouted while slamming his fists down upon his desk. His gold dust followed his movements, surging toward Orochimaru only to stop mere inches away from the woman.

"I could raise you past their heights." The sannin continued despite the gold dust brushing against her back. "I can make the name of your village feared. You need shinobi? I can provide you with hundreds, half of them with Kekkei Genkai. Konoha is the hole that is draining away YOUR village's resources. We can end that. I can make your son the weapon he was meant to be to ensure their destruction." Orochimaru responded in turn while staring at Rasa. While her eyes bled with passion, the forefront of her mind was preparing a multitude of plans to escape from the office. Her words may have been enough to sway the nationalistic man.

Those plans would never have to come to fruition. A silent wave of relief swept through the sannin when the feeling of the dust disappeared from her backside. She watched contemplation overcome the man's face, contemplation that soon turned into acceptance. Her own excitement began to well up within her as the man looked up at her.

"You have bought yourself more time. Continue." Orochimaru didn't stop herself from smiling this time. She had accomplished the hard part of her mission. She know had the man's interest.

All she needed was a bit of interest.

* * *

"Remember, you two aren't allowed to let go until Sakura does another twenty." Kakashi took a brief glance up from his book to look at his trio of genin. The two males of the team were holding onto a tree branch several meters up in the air while the remaining female was groaning with her face down in the dirt. He drank in the sight of his team for a few seconds before returning to his book.

"Sakura, just do the push-ups." Sasuke grunted out while his waning grip on the tree branch kept him from falling. His arms had been spasming in an erratic flurry of motion for the past minute. His breathing, once deep and calm, was now shallow while he stared angrily at his teammate.

"I'm trying." The girl's usual sweet sounding voice had been rendered into a rough grunt while she attempted to push herself up using her arms. The shaking limbs managed to get her halfway there before they collapsed under her, sending her falling back to the ground with a loud thump. Her reunion with the dirt elicited a groan from herself and the hanging Sasuke.

Naruto was the only silent one out of the trio. His lips remained shut, not out of a lack of a pain, his own arms had been burning for close to five minutes at this point, but out of a natural stubbornness.

These exercises had been a part of his daily routine for the past week. Menial in appearance, Kakashi attempted to give them some meaning by calling them teamwork based. The blond saw through that facade. These exercises were nothing more than physical regimen designed to push the limits of their will and strength. Half of the time, the exercises were nearly impossible to complete. The fact that the hardest part of it was regularly assigned to Sakura made the activities truly undoable.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's loud shout brought Naruto's attention over to him. The Uchiha's face burned red with anger and exertion while his fingers began to slip from the branch. Loud huffs of air left his mouth at a rapid pace as he stared down at the girl.

"I said I'm trying!" The girl shouted back up at the boy. The patience of care that she used to address him with was gone in the atmosphere of the exercise. This was the usual course of their activities. Sakura would struggle to complete her section of the exercises while he and Sasuke were forced through a gauntlet of physical torture. The Uchiha would then grow angry with the girl, resulting in a tired and drawn out argument between the two.

"Try harder." The boy's words were disjointed as he attempted to talk through his pain. Sakura decided to not respond instead releasing a huff before turning to face the ground once more. She placed her hands against the hard dirt before a loud yell left her mouth while she attempted to push herself upward. For the first few moments, she made little progress. Slowly though, her body began to rise from the earth. Naruto watched her rise with the tiniest amount of admiration. After two hours and three hundred pushups, he hadn't expected her to have the will to continue. Even if this attempt ended in a failure, his respect for her had grown for even attempting.

Luckily for them all, she managed to extend her arms to their full length, completing the pushup. A wave of excitement spread through her, causing a smile to blossom on her sweat and dirt covered face. She began to lower herself back down to the ground but stopped when she heard a loud thump echoed from behind her. Horror began to replace the excitement as she turned to look at the cause of the sound. When she saw Sasuke laying on the ground, clutching at his shaking arms while glaring at her, she collapsed back to the ground with a loud groan. Naruto followed her lead soon after, his fall being much more graceful as he managed to land on his feet. Though, the expression on his face matched those of his teammate. He knew that they had failed once again. And, failure meant only one thing.

"Looks like you guys couldn't do it." Kakashi said while closing his book. His eyes swept over the group of tired gennin for a few passing silent moments before he clapped his hands together.

"Guess that means more physical training tomorrow! Be here bright and early at five in the morning. I want to work in some missions after our training." Naruto clenched his teeth together in order to hold back the curses that so desperately wanted to leave his lips. The thought of another day like this one was enough to drive him insane. Sasuke and Sakura however, were much more vocal in their disapproval with the man's decision.

"This is the fourth day in a row we've done nothing but these stupid exercises. You tell us to show up early and then you don't even show up on time! This is ridiculous." Sasuke barked out to the older male. His angry statement was met with a shrug from Kakashi before the man turned his back to the trio.

"Not my fault. You're the one who let go. Don't be late!" Those were the Hatake's parting words before disappearing in a small cloud of smoke. The trio stood staring at the cloud in clear disgust for a few moments before turning their attention onto each other.

"If you had just done the pushups, we wouldn't be in this situation." Sasuke directed toward Sakura. Naruto rolled his eyes at the comment. If the Uchiha had looked past his stinging pride, he would've seen that it wasn't the girl's fault. She as the weakest member of the team had been given the most strenuous part of the exercise. She was doomed to fail.

"You try doing three hundred pushups and then being told you have to do twenty more! All you had to do was hang from a tree." Sakura yelled back. Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but Naruto had turned his back to them at this point. Their argument played in the background of his mind while he walked away from the training ground. They would argue for several minutes, their minds needing some type of release after the long day. He didn't blame them. It was better than the alternative he had expected when he originally heard the team assignments. If Kakashi's exercises were good for one thing, it was that it had managed break the duo into their most frustrated and base forms.

"Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

* * *

 _ **AN: Here's another chapter. We're getting deep into the plot now! I hope you all are enjoying it. Once again, many thanks to TheMightyMorgoth for his tremendous help in this all. Review with any questions, concerns, comments, etc. Have a great rest of the day.**_


	10. Chapter 10

"I have alerted Orochimaru of your upcoming mission."

That had NOT been expected. That sentiment was expressed on Naruto Uzumaki's face when he turned to face his loyal knight. His half-dressed and wild-haired form did well to supplement his expression.

"How did you do that? You haven't left my side since I learned about it?"

The small smile that graced her face after his question told him he wasn't going to get anything close to a straight answer. He rolled his eyes at this. Despite her undying loyalty, Kimimaro could prove to be vexing with her secrecy at the time.

"I have my ways."

There it was. He smiled to himself at his own prediction before returning to the task at hand, dressing himself in his armored clothing. From the side of his eye, he could spot his knight eyeing him with that intense gaze of hers. He had no doubt In his mind that she was dying on the inside from not being able to dress him herself. Despite how hard she had argued for it, he had drawn the line there. He loved her resourcefulness but there were things he had to do for himself.

"Master Orochimaru has deemed it necessary to inform you of several key figures in Wave in preparation of your mission."

It became hard to focus on clothing himself when a stretched out scroll was placed directly in front of his face. He attempted to read the thing without interrupting his dressing process but found that tying the loop of his pants while reading a swaying document was harder than he imagined. He gave up on his pants with a loud huff while snatching the scroll out of his knight's grip.

"Gato of Gato Company, Zabuza the former demon of the hidden mist, now S-rank missing-nin and his cohorts, the demon brothers. All have been identified as threats by Orochimaru's contacts within Wave country."

His eyes traveled over the scroll while she spoke. When she finished, he threw the scroll onto the bed, allowing it to roll to a close, while he went back to tying his pants. Kimimaro watched him moved in silence. Her tongue beckoned her to speak yet she ignored it. At least, she attempted to. Failure came to her when Naruto reached down to grab at his sword.

"You have yet to say anything. Are you worried, Master? I promise that no harm will come over you. Honestly, you have no-"

She was forced to stop speaking when the pointed tip of the boy's sword became aimed at her face. Her emotions came crashing down upon her while her eyes traveled up the length of the sword to trace the soft smile on her master's face.

"You are right." He started while lowering the sword away from her face. He took special care in attaching the massive piece of metal onto his hip before shifting his focus back to the Kaguya.

"I have nothing to worry about because I fear nothing."

* * *

"You are worried about him."

It was true. It was so glaringly true. Why was it, though?

"Do you doubt Kimimaro's ability? I am sure she can defend him better than almost anyone else."

She gave a rapid shake of her head. That wasn't it. She had no doubt In the Kaguya's ability to fight for and protect her charge. She had raised the girl to be the ultimate knight. She was a wall, a high rise of impenetrable, cold and merciless death, that no one would get past without suffering through hell.

Kimimaro wasn't the problem.

"Is it the boy? Do you believe he is not strong enough? Will he get himself-"

The reaction was natural, all too natural. She crossed the distance between herself and the Crystal user in an instant before wrapping her hand around the girl's throat. She lifted her from off the ground for a brief moment before driving her back into the ground. All the air in the woman's lungs, along with a mist of spit, was driven out of her mouth onto her assailant's face.

"Never question the ability of my prince nor my faith in him!"

Guren could only nod her head rapidly in the hopes that her compliance would be conveyed. Words left her at the moment, partly out of fear and partly because of the sannin's tight grip around her throat. This wasn't how she wanted to go. She should have just kept her mouth close.

The air came rushing back into her lungs when the woman let go of her neck. The noise of her gulping in the air was the sole sound within the room as she remained laid on the ground. On the other hand, Orochimaru had risen up and was now walking back to her throne.

"Send Jugo to Wave. Remind him of Kimimaro's presence and her true loyalty."

Those words. They were terrifying. Even more so than the woman's hand wrapped around her throat and her snarling face inches away from her own. Those words sounded calm and demanding. They sparked a fear in her, an unwillingness to question and a need to follow. That was scary.

This woman was scary.

"Yes, Master Orochimaru."

She could do nothing but bow. Now was not the time. Questioning was the action of a fool at the moment. Obey she had to do.

Anything less would lead to her death.

* * *

A wise man once said that if you stare into the abyss long enough, it will eventually stare back at you. Now, a puddle wasn't exactly an abyss but Naruto couldn't help but feel that the thing was staring back at him. It was that sixth sense of being watched. He had grown accustomed to it underneath Kaguya's watch but not enough to grow blind to the feeling.

"Naruto!"

Sakura's yell brought his attention over to his team. The girl looked agitated with him. He assumed it had something to do with him stopping to stare at the puddle for the past minute or so. Her expression was shared with their client, a man of modest build with an immodest sense of alcohol consumption. Sasuke stared down the road, his mind undoubtedly focused on what was ahead. Despite the boy's lack of his activated bloodline, his focus was still set to the future.

His sensei had the most interesting expression. The fact that the man's head was removed from his book was a big enough achievement in itself. What intrigued the boy more was the eyebrow raise the man was sending his way. Kakashi was a man of few emotions. He had learned that during his team in Team 7. A simple raising of the eyebrow showed a lot more than one would believe.

"Well, are you coming or not?"

Was he coming? He took a glance down at the puddle once more.

No. Not yet.

He spun to the puddle, his dominant hand slapping onto the hilt of his Odachi as he turned. The sword came free of its sheath with little resistance when he pulled. He sent it twirling through the air, edge cutting through the earth's breeze, before striking it against the puddle.

Excitement rushed through him. A cloud of dust didn't greet him. The sound of metal hitting metal filled the air.

He had found his target.

They sprung from the puddle in tandem. They looked alike, wild-haired, baggy clothing and sharpened claws connected with a single chain. Their eyes spoke of murder.

His eyes reflected the same.

The bolder of the two came at him first. He sprung into the air like a beast and attempted to bring his claw down upon his head. The claw met the flat edge of his sword with a loud screech. Naruto pushed on contact, sending the ninja reeling backward.

His accomplice soon took his place. This one was quick, much quicker than his counterpart, and immediately attempted to cleave through the blond's chest with his claw. Naruto bore his chest proudly at the attack while raising his own sword. The claw's impact was clean but it offered little to the attacking ninja as he found his weapon rebounding off of the boy's armored clothing.

He had been on the opposing end of this situation so many times before while training with Kaguya. The woman's bones made for an annoying and unseen defense. A number of times he had thought he had gotten a clean hit on the woman only for his sword to bounce off of her was frustrating.

His experience would serve him well. With his sword raised and the ninja unprotected, it was a simple act. He brought the sword down upon the man's shoulder. The blade made contact, digging itself a small hole in the available flesh before Naruto pulled. The muscles of his arms tightened, coiling into their bunched form, before releasing all their stored energy. The sword followed the motion of his pulling, enlarging the hole into a diagonal trench that stretched the length of the man's torso.

The smell of blood overpowered the sound of the surviving nin's shout. He bathed in it for the briefest of moments before jumping backward. The last links of the chain passed by his face as the man's gauntlet passed by his face.

He reached out to grab onto the trailing chain but stopped himself when a wave of kunai came sailing through the air. He allowed himself to relax and watched while the masked ninja raised his gauntlet to block the stars. He managed to block a fair few but he didn't manage to block the kick aimed for his face. The underside of Sasuke's foot drove the man's face into the ground. A well-placed punch from the Uchiha knocked the man into blissful unconsciousness.

"That was unexpected."

Kakashi's voice reached him but he paid it little attention. His focus was elsewhere at the moment.

He hadn't managed to kill the man with the attack. The ninja remained alive, sucking in pained breath while clutching at his bloodied chest. The spasms running through his body seemed to grow weaker with each passing moment.

"Naruto?"

He ignored the Kakashi's voice while leveling his sword at the downed man. The two locked eyes for a brief second before he drove the tip of his sword into the injured man's skull. The sword had carved an easy path through the flesh and blood. Naruto pulled the sword loose of the skull, putting it back into its sheath, before turning to face his teacher.

"Sorry about that, sensei." He offered the man a small smile while rubbing at the back of his neck. The man responded like he had done so in the past, with a simple raised eyebrow. He rested his eyes on Naruto for a moment before cutting his focus onto the corpse by the boy's foot.

"I'm pretty sure that one has a bounty of his head. You may want to seal him up for when we get back to the village." The man's flippant response widened the smile on the boy's face. He nodded to his words before turning and kneeling at the dead ninja.

With his more erratic student distracted, Kakashi turned to his client. An unheard sigh slipped past his lips before he began to lumber over toward the man. The mission he had picked in the hopes of having an easy vacation away from the village was turning out to be anything but that.

"Things are never simple. Especially when they involve anything about Minato." He glanced back over to Naruto and saw that the boy was cutting off the head of the dead man. So many questions passed through his head at the moment but he silenced them. They would come later. Right now, he needed answers to more concerning questions.

"So Tazuna, you mind telling us what that was about?"

* * *

She watched as they cowered. Dressed in an assortment of robes and bandages, they weren't the most impressive looking bunch. Without any knowledge of their ability, one would certainly question their value.

Knowledge is key. That is what she always told herself and that was the pinnacle of the lessons she designed for her prince. Knowledge changed the value of these people to worthless to invaluable.

"I came to thank you all."

Her voice echoed through the small chamber. Their eyes swarmed toward the sound and she watched as they widened in fear at the sight of her.

"Your sacrifice will serve as the next stepping stone to the fruition of our kingdom."

Her words sent them into a frenzy. She watched as they attempted to summon their bloodline. The beginnings of a gust or a small flicker of lightning flashed through the room only to fade out of existence moments later. The unseen seals lining the interior of the chamber hummed in response to the stimuli.

Their frenzy soon turned into a blind panic.

"Your weather abilities may not work here but they will serve well in Earth country."

Her words were drowned out by the panic in the room beneath her. She stood staring at the room for a few moments before turning away.

Her role had been fulfilled.

"Subdue them how you wish and leave immediately."

The group of ninja bearing the symbol of the Hidden Stone village nodded at her words before descending into the room. The sound of panic faded from her thoughts while her feet carried her away from the room.

"One step closer."

* * *

 **AN: Another chapter finished. I hope you all enjoyed it. PM or review with any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, etc. Thank you all for reading and have a wonderful rest of the nice.**

 **P.S The clan featured in the latter half of the fic is a real one in the Naruto universe!**


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